Henry
by Lady Stranger
Summary: "Regina can you hear yourself? You want to make another Henry? Please don't go crazy on me when I need you the most!" Emma was mentally breaking, but she held it in. She held it all in, because if she didn't, then they'd both be put into an institution by the end of the day. "You can't bring back the dead, Regina." New Chapters up. SQ -INCOMPLETE CHECK BIO-
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Once Upon A Time. All characters belong to their respectful owner.

* * *

**Henry**

1

"Then we'll make **another** one!" She sat on the steps leading to her home she had shared with her son for 11 years, "you'll help me, won't you?" She got up as fast as she sat, and held Emma's forearms tightly, "we'll go to Boston, and we'll track down Henry's father, and we'll get him to give us his semen. And we have you-"

"Regina can you hear yourself!? You want to make another **Henry**? Please don't go crazy on me when I need you the most!" Emma was mentally breaking, but she held it in. She held it all in, because if she didn't, then they'd both be put into an institution by the end of the day. "You can't bring back the **dead**, Regina." She shook the brunette's shoulders, "and I, will **never** believe him dead until I can see his body with my own eyes."

"Listen to me, Emma. Just **listen**." She cupped her face with both her hands, "Henry is gone..." Her voice hitched, "it's been **3** months, Emma..." Tears started rolling down her face, and it made her vision blurry. Feeling a sting, she blinked the tears away only to be replaced by new ones, "he's not coming back...he...he **died**..." She shook her head, and pressed her forehead against Emma's, who was now openly sobbing, "not unless I do some magic...**dark** magic.. and then after we do that, if it doesn't work, then you can call me crazy. It would only be suitable **then**." Regina finished, and slowly detached herself from the blonde, and took a few steps back in hopes of gaining control once again. She hugged herself, and looked at Emma from under her lashes.

The blonde took a few moments to gain composure. Her eyes were swollen with despair; cheeks red with unbearable cries; hands trembling with fear; knees bent with fatigue; heart broken with agony. She wouldn't admit it, but Regina's idea was beginning to sound more and more rational by the minute. But she also didn't want to lose hope that Henry is still alive. She's his mother, and she can feel him alive. She's not all that sure, to be honest, but wouldn't a mother know if her son was alive or not?

"Emma.." Regina called, "Emma.."

Emma was tired of being miserable, she was tired of life, and all its tricks it kept on pulling. She hadn't had a good night sleep in months. 3 months to be exact. Since the day they sent the wraith through the magic hat. _Magic comes with a price_, and the price was Henry disappearing right in front of their eyes. Her mind trailed to the memory.

_"Henry...?" Snow began, "what's wrong? you look pale.." She went to him, and held him in her arms._

_His hands were weak; as weak as soggy noodles. He couldn't move, or hug his grandmother back. "__**Henry!**__" She called again._

_"..Ss..s..sn..ow...I c..ca..n't...m..move..." Henry managed to get the words out after a couple of tries._

_"__**Emma!**__" Snow called for Emma who was busy having a silent conversation with Regina with their eyes. They had just made magic together, and they both knew what it meant. _

_"Snow...? what's wrong?" She sprinted to her mother, and started to panic as she saw Henry lying between her arms; completely still. "No! No! __**NO!**__ Did the wraith get him?" She urgently reached for Henry, and pulled him into her arms._

_Regina was a beat behind Emma, "...what's happening? What the __**hell**__ is happening to my son!?" She knelt down, and cradled his hands between hers; rubbing them when she found them ice cold._

_Emma scowled at Regina, "... I don't __**fucking**__ care what's happening, Regina. __**You**__ did this. __**You**__ fix it now, or I swear to God I'll __**rip**__ your head off!" She locked her eyes with the brunette as anger illuminated through her orbs in the form of magical sparks._

_"__**Regina!**__" James called, "__**do**__ something!"_

_Regina was confused. Did she really do this? She couldn't think straight. But more importantly, she didn't know what to do. "…I don't know.. Henry baby." She called for him, "can you hear me?"_

_Henry fought every cell in his aching body and smiled, "..h..h..hey..yo..you...saved..m..mom." His breathing was getting weaker by the second; his chest heaving as his skin grew paler. But he never stopped smiling. He felt happy, and oddly content that his mom was still alive. Both of them. "..It's..go..gonna...bb...be...o..oka...y" He wanted to comfort his moms that he wasn't feeling any pain no more. Quite the contrary, the pain was now replaced with happiness, and he felt like the happiest he's ever been. But funny how things happen in life; when he most needed his words, they completely failed him, and when he really needed to keep quiet, he had all the words in the world to utter._

_Me and my big mouth, he thought. _

_Snow gasped, "__**Emma**__..look at his feet."_

_Both Emma and Regina yelled in sync, "__**Henry!**__"_

_Henry closed his eyes; bracing himself for what was coming. He gulped, and all the voices around him lowered into the background as he felt his body go numb. He knew what was going to happen, and he knew not to fight it. His body was slowly disappearing, starting from his frail legs. In a shimmer of light, he was completely covered. It made him feel like he was floating; like he was a feather, effortlessly drifting in the air. _

_It took only 10 seconds for Henry to completely disappear. Regina and Emma stayed in place for __**God**__ knows how long; just uncontrollably sobbing. Snow weeped the loudest, so James held her tight, and rocked her to sleep. He got up, and called for Emma a couple of times to inform her that he was leaving, but all his calls were to no avail. James carried Snow all the way back to their apartment, leaving his daughter with a devastated Regina; who was the only one crying silently. How very regal of her, Emma thought. Their son just __**fucking**__ disappeared right in front of their eyes, and she's worried about her looks?_

_Fuck you, Regina._

"Emma! Emma!" Regina held Emma as she fell, and was shaking her out of her trance, but Emma was long unconscious. She tried to carry her inside the mansion, but Emma was too much of a dead weight. She did the only thing she could do; she held her tight, and slowly lowered the both of them to the ground below.

The former mayor held Emma like that for as long as her mind, and body allowed her to stay awake. It had been a long day of bickering and arguing. Snow and James found serenity in each other, but these two lost souls had no one to hold on to but each other. And though they still hated the idea, they were the only ones that understood one another's pain; so Regina sought Emma, for comfort and Emma did the same. The comfort in knowing that they weren't alone; that they felt the same way.

* * *

The next morning, Regina woke up in her own bed. She noticed a familiar smell, but at the same time not so familiar. The last thing she remembered was her and Emma sleeping on the ground, outside the mansion. She wracked her mind trying to figure out how she got here; nothing. Her head had developed an ache, and she was feeling incredibly sluggish. She moved slowly, hanging her legs from the side of the bed, weighted herself on her elbows, pushing herself off the bed. She stumbled forward, fell on the floor, and into a lump underneath her feet. She glanced down, and saw Emma crawled up in a human ball.

Now it all came back to her. Emma had carried her back inside, and put her on her bed. They were silent as Emma sat next to Regina, waiting for her to fall asleep. The brunette had been silently sobbing again, Emma had noted that it was just the way Regina knew how to cry. There was nothing regal about it; the woman was broken. As much as she liked to hate her guts; she found that she couldn't. Regina may be a lot of things, but she's a damn good mother. At least she was.

"Emma" Regina called, "Emma..." She shook her shoulders tenderly, gently waking her up.

"What?" Emma came to, and squinted her eyes. "Regina? What is it?"

The brunette smiled, if only for a moment. "Sleep on the bed..." She offered her hand, and Emma took it instantly.

"Regina.." Emma called. Her voice was low, and filled with uncertainty.

The former mayor looked over at Emma, "Yes?"

"lets do it." She locked eyes with the brunette, "lets bring Henry back. However we can." She nodded and fell onto the bed and onto her stomach, burying her face against the soft of the pillow, "for now, Regina. I call a truce. We need to work together. We can't go on like this. At least I know I can't. Henry… he was everything to me." Her voice hitched at the end, "after he came into my life, I often wondered what I was doing without him; what I'd do without him if he ever got bored with me. If he ever saw the real me; the boring me; the useless me who had abandoned him. I even had a heart to leave..just to see if he'd come looking for me again." She brought a palm to her lips, and muffled a sob, her head cocking sideways so she could see the brunette. "So you see, I can't actually function if he's not here. That's why, for now..." She looked up, and locked her eyes with Regina. She felt warm droplets of tears trail down her cheeks; she let them be.

Regina immediately mirrored Emma, and started her silent sobbing. The blonde continued, "for now, Regina. Just for now... I will hate you later."

* * *

It had been 3 days since Emma agreed to Regina's absurd idea. Regina had been trying to convince the blonde for a good 6 weeks, but every time the brunette brought it up, the blonde would snap at her, and they'd end up arguing; pointlessly. Snow and James were even more against Regina's plan; they had tried to lock her up, and perform a spell, with the help of Blue, to make her forget about Henry. But they failed as many times as they tried. In fact, they failed to the point where they just gave up on the former evil queen. To them, she was beyond saving, and why should they try to help her when she took their happy endings?

The only good outcome, was that everyone else felt safe while Regina was busy conjuring up a plan to bring back the dead. She had tried with Daniel before, and had failed miserably. But you can only learn from your mistakes for you to succeed at the end. She cared about Henry even more than her fiancee, so she tried her best, and then some more, and then some more. Being restless had no effect on her, Regina only needed a goal, then she'd channel out all her energy into achieving that goal, even if it meant destroying herself in the process.

But oddly enough, Regina didn't resort to any dark magic, or any evil-like methods ever since Henry's death. She kept her promise with her son, and she planned on keeping that promise with him in the future. She just needed to enact this one dark spell, and then she'd stop for good. For Henry's sake, she would stop.

At least that's what she told herself every time she looked in the mirror. You will not use magic; you will not be evil. You will not use magic; you will be good. It somehow became like a daily routine. She'd stand in front of a mirror; any mirror, and chant those words, picturing Henry as she did so.

Quite the pathetic life she had.

* * *

In the past 3 months, Emma had gone from denial, to anger, to depression, and then again to denial along with the occasional anger outbursts. But Emma never once believed her son dead. It was crazy, really. People don't disappear when they die, they **freakin** drop dead, and you get to decide what to do with the remaining lifeless body. You get to have closure. The body is nothing but a shell, Emma knew, but it's proof that Henry had lived, and it's proof that he had died. Without it, she wasn't very sure.

Believing him alive, and actually **doing** something to get him back, was a whole different story. Emma had little knowledge in the matter of magic, and so did everyone else. Her friend, Ruby, had ventured out into the woods in search for any other wolves that might help. After a month of Henry's disappearance, she mentioned that a wolf from her pack was a descendent of powerful witch line. Shane Frost was her name, and Ruby assured Emma that Shane may know some answers, if not solutions. But that was 2 months ago, and Emma was beginning to doubt her friend, as much as she didn't want to. Snow was the only one who was still heartbroken by Henry's death. She believed him dead, but for the sake of her daughter, she remained hopeful. Snow and Charming had questioned Blue about what could've happened to Henry, but she proved useless. Gold had tried a spell to locate the boy, but the necklace he held over the map didn't move a hair, proving his suspicion of the boy's current status: deceased. After that he went and disappeared to god knows where, but only after he'd warned them:

"You can't bring back the dead, dearie. No magic in the world can do that. Not even true love's kiss." Emma wasn't shocked at the old man's words. She was, after all, from this world. She knew certain things can never be fixed. She was realistic, however she always considered herself an optimist. But she knew the world will not bend its laws; the world will maintain its balance; the world will continue on spinning, no matter how many times she cursed it into nothingness, it will go on.

* * *

_"__**You're**__ to blame! __**You**__ did this, Regina." Emma's anger was elevating by the second, and Regina fell the victim to the blonde's venting. Most days, the former Mayor preferred to remain quiet, but after a month of hearing it from the younger woman, she had had about enough._

_"__**Enough!**__" Regina grabbed the blonde by the shoulders. They were standing in the middle of the street; Emma had accidentally bumped into the former Queen, and they immediately started bickering, "enough, Emma! __**Enough**__ of all of this!" She shook her, "you think blaming __**me**__ would bring him back? It's not going to bring him back, and you won't feel better. You think you could just be angry at me __**forever**__?" At this point the brunette was screaming at Emma, "I didn't cause our son's death! I didn't do that, I __**know**__ I didn't!"_

_Emma's anger only grew stronger, "I gave him up..." She whispered, as tears angrily rolled down her face and into the muddy ground. It had started raining, but neither of them noticed, "I gave you Henry because I wanted him to have his __**best**__ chance! And you...you __**killed**__ him, Regina! " Regina's arms dropped to her sides, as Emma was shouting through the sound of the raging thunder storm. She locked her greens with browns, and Regina noted the white swirls inside Emma's eyes. You killed him, Emma's eyes were conveying._

_She continued, "I had __**never**__ thought you wouldn't treat him well...I __**believed**__ you'd be the mother I could never be. The mother __**I**__ never had!" Regina took a step back, but then stepped closer and grabbed Emma's shoulder once more. Emma's eyes were emitting some sort of magical sparks, and it was rapidly growing, "I was... __**actually**__ happy that he had you as a mother instead of me... I was willing to leave you be!"_

_"__**Emma!**__" Regina called._

_"But not only have you proved me wrong...you went ahead and proved __**everyone**__ right!"_

_"They knew the real you!"_

_"__**Emma!**__" Regina called again, and again, "__**Emma!**__"_

_"You...You took __**everything**__ from me!"_

_"__**Everything!**__" Emma flailed her arms in fury, and a white spark escaped her fingers, sending a magical slice Regina's way._

_**"Oh God!" **__Emma immediately gasped. _

_Regina, what have I __**done**__?_

_The young blonde fell silent, channeling glances between her hands, and Regina's sliced shoulder. Blood was gushing through the former queen's veins like a waterfall of red. Regina was very still; shocked out of her mind._

_The brunette slowly retreated her arms, silently crying from the pain. She had been trying to shake Emma out of her trance for a couple of minutes now, but was met with failure. Emma snapped out of it, and moved closer to Regina, covering the wound with her hands. The former Mayor winced at the pain, but kept silent._

_Emma was freaking out. She inched closer, and mentally cursed herself for being such a pathetic, angry woman. Maybe she needed anger management lessons, she thought, but shook her head to drive away the idea. It wasn't the time, or place for her to realize her mistakes. _

_I'm __**so**__ sorry, Regina._

_**I'm so sorry!**_

_God.._

_Please just..._

_Just..._

_Don't make her die!_

_A couple of beats passed, and suddenly Regina felt a cold shiver run along her blooded arm. She watched as her blood rose from the ground in perfectly rounded circles, and started to slip its way back to her body through the wound. She felt the pain grow weaker, and fainter by the second. The wound healed from the inside out, and all the blood she had lost was safely put back into her system. She dared to look up at Emma, and found her a crying mess._

_You have magic? She wanted to ask, of course. You're the savior._

_Regina let a sob escape; her hands pressing against her mouth. "I...I..." She stuttered, "..I don't know.." She whispered to the rain, "If I did something...to cause..." Her voice hitched, and dropped a few octaves, "I don't know what I did, Emma. I don't know if I __**did**__ something or not. I would never harm Henry. Never; at least not intentionally." She shook her head, willing herself not to believe that it was indeed her behind Henry's death. _

_Was this how Snow felt like, all those years ago? Regina mused, _g_etting blamed for something she didn't do...for something she didn't mean to do. Was this history's way of repeating itself?_ _Am I...am I being punished?_ _Oh, God. What have I __**done?**_

_Regina looked up at Emma, and they both continued crying in the face of the raging thunderstorm. There was nothing else to be said. The amount of desperation they both felt, was enough to fill the silence._

* * *

"So, what's the plan?" Emma asked, as she sat down on the couch next to Regina in her home office. "I mean I still don't get it, Regina. How do you plan on bringing him back?"

Regina looked up from the book she was reading, "I'll explain in just a moment." She gave a sad smile, "can you make fresh coffee?" Regina's voice was low, and gentle.

Emma nodded and went to the kitchen to make some damn coffee. Entering the kitchen,"**holy crap!**" she exclaimed. The room was a total, and complete mess. She had never seen the former Mayor show any sort of untidiness before, and to see the mountains and mountains of unwashed dishes; the broken glass that was carelessly swept to a corner; the foul smell of food that had clearly gone bad, Emma was not ready for this. She stood in the middle of the room, and found herself wondering if Regina fell this far when her Daniel had died. Perhaps she was witnessing the birth of a renewed version of The Evil Queen.

She took one final glance at the sink, and decided against making any sort of coffee in this kitchen. She went back to the office, and began, "umm...Regina?"

Regina looked up from her book, "what?"

Emma continued, "lets go out for coffee."

Regina's eyes grew wide, "**what?**" She demanded further explanation.

Emma realized how she may have sounded, and started again, "no, not that! I mean your kitchen is a freakin mess, and I think you could use the fresh air. We both could."

The former Mayor's face changed colors, "oh.." She buried her blushing face back down in her book for moment, then closed it, and looked up again, "Okay" she gave a weak smile.


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Once Upon A Time. All characters belong to their respectful owner.

* * *

**Henry**

**2**

It wasn't in Emma's intention, but she found herself unconsciously protective of Regina, for good reasons and for entirely selfish ones. The towns people found an easy target in the brunette for anything, and everything that had happened, and continues to happen. Moments when Knight Emma made an appearance went beyond the appropriate; truly above and beyond. The pointing fingers towards the brunette were a sack of raw rice; many, and all the same. Someone had called Regina an evil bitch, Emma had called their mother a cheap whore. Someone had egged Regina's Benz, Emma had egged their faces with her right hook. Someone, had and in the middle of the night, broke into Regina's house, smashed her mirrors, scratched the wooden floor, ruined the pictures on the wall, went up the stairs, and banged on her locked door, demanding that she comes out and meets her death. Regina had heard the man break in, and had found herself involuntarily locking the door, and hiding in her closet with a pocket knife in her hand that the blonde had given to her. In the morning, Emma had found the culprit, and had nearly choked him to death before one prince Charming came swooping in, and stopping the savior.

"You may have stopped me **now**, Father. But if I ever see his sorry ass ever again, I will **rip** his arms off, and feed it to him!"

After that, Grumpy minimized his drinking to one beer a day, and made damn sure he never crosses paths with the blonde ever again. They haven't seen each other since the incident.

Everyone knew of the savior's odd behavior towards the witch, and so they've come to stir away from hurting the brunette in front of the white knight. They wondered why the blonde would more than volunteer to protect the former mayor, but they reasoned; Henry. It seemed everything could be reasoned with Henry.

Yes, Emma was protective of Regina, but should they find themselves alone, the blonde would turn her back on the brunette, blaming her just like every other damn character that existed in this town of Storybrooke. The blonde might not have noticed her contradicting demeanor, Regina thought. But that certainly didn't stop her from being torn between Emma the savior, and sheriff Emma Charming. She's a Charming, Regina more often than not would try to remind herself. Charmings have a way of hurting you.

* * *

They reached the diner just as the clock hit 6 p.m. Emma held the door to Granny's diner, allowing the brunette to walk in first. Regina walked in, without so much as a sound; not bothering to look at anyone. Emma followed suit. They found the former Mayor's usual seat empty, and quickly occupied it. The blonde found herself watching the brunette fiddle with her hands, still not looking up. As if on queue, Regina's head snapped up, and locked eyes with the blonde, and raised a her brows. If if being revealed for the first time under the light of a microscope, the former mayor noticed Emma's worn-out attire, and mussed up hair. In the same way, Emma's brows shot up as well, noting how much of a train-wreck the brunette looked. Gone were her power I-am-gonna-ruin-you suits, gone were her perfect mask of make-up and red lips, gone were her straight back, and crossed legs, gone were her high heels, and ...and...Regina was simply gone.

Must be why they didn't notice us coming in, the both of them thought, as they gave each other a warm smile, in celebration in getting caught thinking about the same thing.

Emma nodded at Regina, and went to order coffee. The new waitress was a 16 year old girl name Penny. The blonde wasn't sure from which fairy tale she was from, and neither did she care. But as it seemed, the young redhead had taking a liking to Emma and Regina. She gave a toothy smile, and began, "what can I get you, sheriff?"

"Two coffees, one with sugar, milk, and cream, the other black."

"Alright. Anything else?"

"No thank you."

"Are you sure, sheriff? You're looking quite pale." Penny gave Regina a glance, then addressed the blonde, "and so does the Mayor."

Emma cringed at the old title, but if it showed on her face, Penny didn't notice. "We're good.." She glanced at the name tag, "Penny." She dug into her back jeans pocket, looking for green. "Thank you, though."

Penny smiled sadly, as she took the bills from Emma, "you're welcome. I'll bring over your coffee in just a minute, please have a seat."

She disappeared behind the counter, prepping the coffee, and Emma went back to Regina, and occupied the seat opposing the brunette. Regina finally looked up, "how did it go?" she asked.

"Well." She looked to where Penny was busy practically running the diner on her own, "she's a good kid. I don't think she hates us as much as everyone else does."

Regina smiled sarcastically, "they don't hate you, Miss Swan. They're just angry at you for associating yourself with the Evil Queen."

"They think that because you defend me in public, that you're on my side." She finished, and looked away from the blonde.

After a moment of silence, "It's not true." Emma weakly remarked.

Regina's head snapped back to the blonde, and she found herself asking before she could bury the thought in her head, "What isn't?"

"That you're the Evil Queen."

_So it's true that you're not on my side?_

"Oh." Regina mused, not seeming to believe a word the blonde said.

"They might think you are, but do **you**?"

Regina pondered in her thoughts, "what difference does it make what** I** think? No one gives a shit."

Emma's eyes grew wide. It had been as shocking as ever hearing the former Mayor curse. Every time she does though, Emma finds the brunette more tolerable. More human.

"No difference at all..." Emma muttered, and finished with a sigh. "Well," she looked at the counter, wondering what's taking Penny so long, "I guess** I** know, so at least there's that.."

Regina felt a lump growing in her throat, and tried to swallow it down into submission. It worked, "yeah.." She looked away, and stared out the window, wondering what's taking Penny so long.

As if on queue, Penny showed up with a tray in hand. "Your coffee, my ladies." She placed the black one in front of Regina, and the other one in front of Emma. Then she placed a plate in front of the both of them. Emma and Regina eyed the plate, "this one's on the house." Penny smiled, and both Emma and Regina noted the sincerity in it.

The plate contained chicken salad in one side, and a cheese burger and fries on the other. The amount was enough to feed both of them, and maybe even Henry. But Henry no longer exists, Regina thought. "I'm not hungry, you should eat." The former Mayor slid the plate Emma's side.

"I'm not hungry either. You should eat. You look like you need it." Emma said, without so much as glancing at the plate.

"What do you mean I need it?" Annoyance was evident.

"You haven't been eating in weeks, it seems. I mean your kitchen looks like crap, and your fridge reeks of rotten food."

Regina snarled at Emma, and took a sip from her coffee to calm her throat. "What were you doing snooping around my fridge, Miss Swan?"

"I wasn't snooping. It smelled bad, so I opened the fridge to-"

"To **what**? Make sure I don't have a body chopped up, and packed inside?"

"**To clean it up!**"

"Clean it up? **You**?" Regina swatted her arms around. "You don't know how to clean your own hands, let alone a complicated appliances like my fridge."

"Plus" she gritted her teeth, "I never asked you to touch my stuff. I don't know what it is you think, but I don't need your help, Miss Swan. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

_I do need your help, Emma._

Regina was praying to all Gods that the blonde doesn't leave her, and just go. It hadn't been the worst thing she heard from the blonde before, but Regina was stubborn, and couldn't find it in her not to defend her pride.

"**Hmph!**" Emma snorted, "keep telling yourself that, Regina." She gave a sarcastic smile, "you've completely fell off the ladder, that you don't even know how to climb it anymore."

If Henry saw you, he'd freak out. But Henry no longer exists, Emma thought.

At this point people started to notice the couple fight. They were few, 4 or 5, but they were more than enough to start rumors and gossips. "**Look away, people. Enough with your fucked up curiosities!**" Emma yelled, as she locked eyes with the brunette.

"Why are you casually dinning with the Evil Queen!? Have you completely lost your mind!?" One yelled back.

Emma got up, and turned to face the man, "she's not the Evil Queen. Not anymore. And if you can find it in that little head of yours, common sense will tell you that I'm right."

"So, what? She's good now?"

"Do you expect us to believe that?"

"Yeah why don't we give her back her titles, and let her lead us again."

"So much for a savior."

"Get out of our town, Swan. Get out if you want to be on the evil queen's side."

Emma had had about enough bullshit from those men, "you little pieces of **shit!**"

She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it as she felt a tug at her left forearm. Her head snapped to the left, and she saw Penny standing right next to her, "sheriff," Penny nodded to the blonde to see. Emma looked behind, and saw Regina drenched in egg yolk, and what seemed like dirty mud. The savior's brows shot up, her eyes widened, and her mouth fell open. Regina sat there quietly, fiddling with her hands, as the mixed substances slid down her face, and fell atop the table, and inside her coffee mug with a plopping, and squishing sounds.

"**Who did this!?**" Emma snapped back at the lot of people, and gritted her teeth. But she found the men gone. She started off after them, only to be stopped with a shout from the brunette, "**Don't!**"

Emma turned to face Regina, her anger reaching new levels of dangerous, "**why the hell not!**?" She paced to her, "look at yourself, you're **filthy!** Aren't you angry? Don't you just want to rip their **heads** off!?" Emma barked.

Regina dared to look up, and lock eyes with the blonde, "don't go..." she whispered. "Don't go..." she repeated. "Don't leave me alone..." she confirmed.

Emma found the common sense in her mind again, and nodded in realization.

_Oh..._

_It was a set up..._

_They distracted me in order to harass Regina._

_And even now, they're luring me out, so they could mess around with her some more._

_And maybe even try to kill her._

The thought made Emma cringe for the 2nd time tonight. She reached for the former Mayor's hand, and pulled her on her feet. Penny who had been watching in silence from behind the counter, finally spoke up, "sheriff, I've banned them from the diner. They won't set foot here again." She walked to the couple, and handed them a brown bag, and a courier of 4 cups of coffees.

Penny smiled, and gently shoved the goods Emma's way when she refused to take them, "please come back again. You are always welcomed here." She finished before she went to the back to get a mop, "it's on the house." She yelled as she disappeared into the back room.

* * *

Regina glanced at Emma's hand that's protectively wrapped around her shoulders from behind, but still keeping their bodies apart, as they walked back to the mansion. Lets go home, the blonde had said to the brunette. They had walked outside the diner, and in seconds, the savior handed the former Queen the coffee cups, and wrapped her left arm around the brunette, while carrying the brown bag in the other. They walked slowly, with every anticipation of a sudden attack on the brunette from someone somewhere in the shadows.

They walked a mile or two, before Regina abruptly stood still. "What's wrong?" Emma asked, "do you see something?" Emma was frantically looking around for any signs of movement.

A moment passed, "It's alright, Miss Swan." Regina held the coffee courier in one hand, and tugged the other atop Emma's, gently squeezing, and moving it away from her shoulder and clavicle, "it wouldn't do us any good if anyone saw us this way." She said as she turned to face Emma, "they'd just hurt us more." Regina didn't let go of Emma's hand, until she felt conscious about it.

_And it's not good for my heart if you're this close._

Emma eyed the brunette for a couple of moments. Regina's afraid, she deduced. She sighed, and reached for the brunette's hand, covering it completely with hers. She squeezed the former mayor's hand, and started walking again. Regina felt a blush forming on her face, and closed her eyes indulging in the only human contact she's having for months now.

"This isn't any better.. " she muttered to herself. Regina didn't mean to, but Emma heard.

* * *

They reached the mansion, and Emma immediately started ensuring the safety of the house, going from room to room, making sure every window and door are locked. After she'd made sure the house was 'safe', she went to the kitchen and found Regina scrubbing the floor with a cloth. Emma spoke, "it's safe. No one can get in, Regina." Regina didn't look up, but gave the blonde a firm node, signaling that this is it. The blonde will have to leave.

Emma left the former queen in her kitchen, and headed for the door. She walked to her bug, and got inside. She looked at herself in the mirror, and saw the train-wreck she was. She sighed, closed her eyes, and sunk in deeper into her seat. She thought of home, and how Henry was not there. She thought of home, and how her mother was not there. She thought of home, and how Mary Margaret, her friend she'd came to love, was not there for her to lean upon, also. She thought of home, and how her father was not there. She though of home, and how her father had been treating her like she was 5 years old.

_Some home you have, Emma._

* * *

She didn't allow herself to cry, not this time, she thought. She kept scrubbing the stains off the floor tiles. Emma didn't know this but Regina wasn't the one who messed up her own kitchen. She'd been cleaning her house everyday since Henry's death, but she'd go upstairs and spend hours trying to sleep, and then she'd hear it. An intruder that would go inside, quietly, and ruin her clean kitchen, and stuff her fridge with rotten apples. They were quiet, and Regina wouldn't hear them if she wasn't always wide awake, but the brunette does hear them, and she does silently cry herself to unconsciousness.

The next day she'd wake up to find her kitchen a mess. She'd leave it as it is, for the day, and cleans it all up as the darkness spreads. She'd clean it because she knows the identity of the intruder, she suspects. But Regina is seldom wrong. So she cleans it up, and hopes that one day she'd wake up, and find the kitchen as clean as she left it.

Regina continues to clean. She finishes with the floor, and goes to wash the dirty dishes. She cleans every dish, every spoon, or fork one at a time. After she finishes cleaning, she reaches for a clean cloth, and starts drying. The repeated action brings solitude to the brunette, and she lets her mind wander into fantasy land. She imagines Henry, and how he'd look like if he was with her right now. Would he have grown taller a bit? Chubbier a bit? Maybe his voice is more boyish now? She imagines all sorts of scenarios with her son. Him messing up, and her scolding him. Him falling asleep on her lap, and her playing with his hair. Him telling her he loves her, and her telling him he loves her back. She smiles to herself, and sighs in content.

She snaps back to reality, as she holds the last of the plates in her hands, drying it. Then she hears it, the front door opening, and closing behind an intruder. The plate she holds, falls and shatters to pieces. She trembles, and snaps her head to look at the kitchen door. If they didn't know she was in the kitchen, now they know, Regina thinks. She hears the steps getting closer to the kitchen door, and she takes out the pocket knife Emma had gave her, and points it to the door. She's shaking, and the knife she's holding is shaking as well. She lets herself cry, she knows how it'll look like, and she knows it'll probably take a great sum of her pride, but she can't help it. She cries quietly, as her lips tremble. The door finally opens, and Regina closes her eyes, not wanting to see her killer before she dies.

She says through shaky lips, "come to finish the job?"


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own Once Upon A Time. All characters belong to their respectful owner.

* * *

**Henry**

**3**

Regina was trembling. It showed through the constant rise and fall of her mud-covered shirt, and through her erratic heartbeats. She held the knife Emma had given her. Her hands were shaking, and the knife she held was shaking as well. As she closed her eyes to free the trapped tears, she thought of Henry. She thought that her death might be something good. At least she'd get to see him; if she wasn't going to hell that is.

The steps were getting closer, and the kitchen door finally opened, "come to finish the job?" She said through shaky lips.

"Regina?" Emma Swan stood before Regina.

Regina snapped her eyes open, "Miss Swan?"

"Are you okay?" Emma stood near the doorway, looking worried, and holding her hands up. "I heard a plate-"

"How do I know you're really her?" She interjected, pointing the knife, and this time she wasn't shaking.

"What are you talking about?" Emma backed away a step, "who's her?"

Regina stared at Emma. She certainly looked like miss Swan, but she could be anyone else. She could be Cora, or Snow, or the blue fairy trying to trick her. She eyed the blonde from her head to feet, and then back up. She didn't see any changes than from what she had seen of the blonde just an hour ago. But what would miss Swan be doing here? She doesn't have a reason.

"**Emma**. How do I know you're Emma?" Regina locked eyes with the blonde. "You could be anyone...You could be **her!**" She was referring to Cora.

Sensing this was a sensitive situation, Emma somehow understood. "I **am** Emma, Regina." She gave her a sad smile, "we share a son, remember?" She looks away, "we **shared**..." She corrected.

"Everyone knows** that!**" Regina took a step forward, forcing Emma to lock eyes with her once again. "Who are you!? And why are you here?" She pointed the knife at Emma's face, "why should I believe you?"

Emma didn't so much as flinch when Regina pointed the knife she had previously given to the brunette. Instead, she stood still, and kept her eyes locked with the brunette for a few minutes before she spoke again, "I gave you that knife, Regina."

"I saved you from a fire, an angry mob, a wraith, and from the countless times Leroy and the others tried to humiliate you." She took a step forward, standing in the brunette's personal space.

"Regina, come on. It's really me, don't be afraid." She smiled sadly.

"I **am** Emma. Tell me what to do to convince you?" She held the knife, and tried to take it away from the panicking brunette.

The former mayor stood still, gazing at the blonde, and debating what to do. Should she let go of the knife, and trust this person in front of her, or should she make her move, while she had the chance. She remembered something the blonde had told her before all of this Henry mess they were in; something that only she and Emma would know since it was such a sensitive subject. "What was the name you had in mind for Henry?"

Emma's eyes lost their clarity, and she looked away blinking the tears that formed in a matter of seconds. She inhaled deeply, and shook her head. Why did it have to be that question, she wondered. "Jeramy..." The blonde whispered shakily. "I wanted to name him Jeramy..." The tears she held in, started to silently fall.

Regina wasted no time. As soon as she heard the name leave Emma's lips, she plunged forwarded, and hugged the blonde, letting go of the knife. "**Emma!**" She wrapped her arms around the blonde's neck, and started her sobbing instantly. Nothing was going through her mind, except the cheer happiness that it was indeed Emma.

Emma, Emma! She mentally called for the blonde, unable to control herself.

Feeling the older woman's tears, and heartbeats against her own body, Emma gave in and hugged the brunette back. It was the first time for both of them to let their guards down, and seek each other for comfort, physically. They hated and blamed one another, but at the moment, it felt too damn good to be in each other's arms. So Emma hugged her back. She held her strong against her body, with much needed force, and they both cried out loud not caring to hide their devastation any longer.

Henry no longer existed.

It could have been 5 minutes, it could have been 30, but at some point they had stopped their cries, and fell into the ground, still in each other's embrace. They had their eyes closed, but they were both wide awake. Neither one of them had the energy, nor the desire to analyze what this meant, so they stayed there. Regina's hands still wrapped around Emma's neck, and her head rested over her shoulder with her nose nuzzling the flesh there. Emma's hands wrapped around Regina's waist, and her head atop Regina's with her cheek rubbing the brunette's hair.

It was a sound Regina recognized all too well that brought her back to reality. A sound she found herself familiar with; a car engine going dead. Her eyes snapped open, and she stood up abruptly, looking down at the blonde. Emma looked up at her, "what's wrong?"

Regina gave her a sad smile, and offered her hand, "come with me, we don't have much time." Emma catching on on the urgency of the situation, she grabbed the proffered hand, and stood on her feet. The brunette rushed outside the kitchen, dragging the blonde along. They reached Regina's office, and took shelter there. Emma turned around, "what's going on?" She frantically asked.

The former mayor looked at her with a sad expression. She took a step closer, and placed a finger on Emma's lips, "don't make a sound, miss Swan." She nodded to the door, "it'll be just a minute, and then we can talk..." She took away her finger, found a couch and sat, crossing her arms, and throwing her head back. Emma stared at the brunette for a moment, before following suit.

Why are you hiding things from me, Regina?

It was just a minute before they heard the front door sound, and an intruder helping themselves inside. Emma's body shot up, but Regina grabbed her arms, and pulled her back down. The blonde glanced at Regina, confused, and mouthed 'someone's inside.'

The older woman nodded, and mouthed back 'I know.' She motioned for Emma to sit back. Reluctantly, Emma obliged. They sat back down, Regina never letting go of Emma's hand. At some point, she even laced their fingers together.

The steps on the foyer, the kitchen door opening, and then the sound of someone cursing Regina while, clearly, wrecking up her spotless kitchen. Emma's eyes widened, "what the **hell!**?" She snapped her head towards Regina, "someone's been-"

"Miss Swan." Regina cut in, "please don't go." She pleaded with the blonde, "just..." She looked away. Not able to finish her sentence with the sensation of Emma's hand molding into hers. It felt like a torch was ignited there, and she finally let go of the blonde's hand, but immediately regretted the action. Perhaps the idea of being burned alive by the blonde was a good one. She shook the thoughts away, "just trust me. Please." That word again. She hated using that word, but sometimes Emma left her no choice.

The younger woman stared for a beat or two, then nodded. That word again. She loved hearing the brunette use that word. "Okay." She kept nodding, and fell back into place, listening to the symphony of broken glass, and angry curses. It went on for about 5 minutes, before the intruder had enough, and left just as quietly as they came in.

"Miss Swan," Regina began after making sure they were alone, "you never told me why you..." she trailed looking for the right word, finding none, "why you 'came back' this evening."

Emma still had her head rested on the couch, staring at the ceiling. She was angry. Furious even. She just wanted to go out there, and rip, whoever ruined Regina's kitchen, to pieces. Protectiveness kicked in, and it was taking hold of her. She knew the brunette didn't wish for her help this time, but she couldn't help but feel that they lost the battle today, and she wasn't about to lose the war.

"Why didn't you let me rip their head off.." She locked eyes with the brunette, "cause right now." She placed a hand over her left breast, "that's all I want to do."

_My heart hurts, Regina. It __**fucking**__ hurts._

She waited for a reaction, but Regina never gave her one. So she continued, "I want to start running after them, and shoot them in the head. The things that are going through my mind now. Ohh.." She shook her head, "you can't even imagine how messed up they are."

I think I can imagine, Regina thought, but knowing full well that it wasn't such a good idea to voice that at the moment. "Emma..." Regina reached for the younger woman, "please-"

"No, Regina." The blonde swatted her hands away, "you don't get to tell me what to do. This is not about you."

_**Not about ME?**_

_**Aren't you worried about ME?**_

_**Aren't you scared for MY life? **_

_**Aren't you angry for MY sake? **_

_**Aren't I the one you want to PROTECT? **_

_**How can it be not about ME? **_

_**How can you be so CRUEL?**_

But she couldn't ask any of these rhetorical questions. The brunette feared the blonde would stop her protectiveness if she noticed it at all. She deduced that the younger woman wasn't aware of her bipolar personality at the moment. So she kept quiet, hoping the blonde will calm down on her own. She kept quiet, biting her lips. She kept quiet, but Emma never calmed down.

"I want to find them and burry them alive, so they'd suffer before they die." She gritted her teeth, and clenched her fists, her eyes going wide as if that had been the best idea she'd ever thought of. "**I should've done it!**"

"**I should've DONE it!**" She snarled at the older woman. "**YOU should've let me!**"

"**You're nothing but a coward!**"

Just as the words left her mouth, she regretted them. It felt as if she was thrown into an ice-cold waterfall, her anger disappearing just like that. She looked over to Regina's side, and gulped. In return, the brunette stayed quiet, clearly effected by Emma's harshness. She was effected, alright, and she had her eyes closed, willing herself not to cry again. She had had about enough of the crying. How many times was it that she cried today?

_**Don't you dare cry!**_

She snapped her head away. A minute passed, "miss Swan, what are you doing here?" She opened her eyes, and found a spot on the floor, and focused her eyes on it. Not this time around, she thought. She won't let the blonde make her cry.

Emma studied the brunette for a beat, wondering how the hell she was going to fix this one. She knew she had screwed up, and she also knew that Regina wasn't angry. She was sad, which was ten times worse than if the brunette had gotten angry at her, and then called her a coward back. But Regina couldn't form any coherent come-back, so she accepted defeat, and that was just unacceptable.

"Just tell me why you came here, miss Swan." Regina snapped her head back at the blonde, and the tears fell one final time tonight. "Why did you sneak-" Her voice hitched, "why did you do it?"

_Just tell me why. I want to know why you came back. _

Emma broke the eye contact, and got up. She knelt in front of the older woman, reached for Regina's hands, and held them in hers. The brunette glanced down, and they resumed their eye contact, "I," Emma began, "I wanted to ask you something, Regina."

Regina was taken back by the gentleness of Emma's expression, by the warmth of Emma's hands against hers, and by the sincerity of her words. She noted how beautiful Emma Swan was right this moment, "ask..." She whispered.

"Ask, miss Swan." She nodded.

Emma squeezed Regina's hands, "can I move in, Regina?" She wanted to do better by the brunette, and the idea that someone might, and at any time, break in and harm Regina was unbearable. She didn't have a home no more, and Regina didn't have one as well. Together, they can make a new home. They can make it work.

Regina's eyes went wide, if only for a moment, and she squeezed Emma's hands back, but she didn't say a word.

Emma feeling the hesitation in Regina's eyes, she went on to make her case, "I can stay in the guest room, or any of your couches. All of them look comfortable." She let out a small giggle, "so you don't have to worry about personal space."

_Aren't you in my personal space right this moment?_

"Yes." Regina answered, but Emma didn't hear her.

"We can work on our plan, and if you have to update me you don't have to leave the house I'm-"

"Yes.." Regina tried again, cutting off the blonde. Honestly speaking, Regina's heartbeat was racing so fast, one would think that Emma was proposing to her, and maybe in the back of her mind, Regina** was** treating this as a proposal.

"Yes, Emma. Yes."

"This way we can save the time of transportation, and the money for communication. We can-"

Regina found herself down on the floor, cupping Emma's face in both her hands. That made the blonde finally shut up. Regina stared into Emma's greens, and she wondered for the second time tonight how beautiful the blonde looked. The blonde stared right back into Regina's browns, and she lost herself in those eyes. They stayed that way, glancing at each other's lips from time to time. Their breathing was heavy, and they both had the same idea in their minds.

Courage was a bizarre concept. Was anyone really courageous in this world?

Regina let out a low sigh, and let go of the younger woman's face.

Emma found herself biting on her lower lip, as she heard Regina sigh.

They both wanted, but they both were waiting for the other, and the moment was gone.

The brunette rested her forehead against Emma's, and began, "yes, Emma. Lets move in together." She whispered.

Emma barely hearing what the brunette said, she cupped Regina's face in her hands, and nuzzled their noses together, "Good. Are you sure that won't be a problem?"

"Yes. I'm sure." Regina whispered, her voice saying 'why the hell wouldn't be?', "yes." She repeated.

Emma halted her nuzzling, and locked her eyes with the brunette, "together?"

Regina smiled genuinely, couldn't help but feel like any minute now they were gonna march into a church and get married, "together." She whispered back.

The younger woman smiled, reached for Regina's forehead, and placed a lingering kiss there.

_I'll take that._

The older woman hugged Emma, and they stayed there for as long as their legs, and knees allowed them to, before retiring to sleep, each in their own room. In their own bed, thinking about the same thing.

_Together..._

* * *

"So we need to go to Boston, find Neil, and convince him to sell us his..well stuff." Emma paced around Regina's bedroom, "I think it's better if we steal it...like spell him or something, and have him jerk off to a magazine at a sperm donation agency."

Regina remained still, laying in bed, her eyes glued to the ceiling. She sighed, "why can't we ask him to give it to us? I don't want to use magic...for Henry's sake."

"But he's an ass, Regina. I don't want him in our kid's life." Emma stopped pacing, and shrugged at the brunette, "I thought you of all people would understand."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Regina situated herself on the headboard, and sat up, arms crossed.

Emma rolled her eyes, and shrugged. "He's a jerk, Regina. I hate his guts."

The older woman eyed the blonde for a minute before she spoke, "okay. We can trick him if you want. But no magic..."

Emma nodded, "fine, we'll do it without magic." Emma huffed, and sat on the edge of the bed, "after we get the sperm, we'll use one dark spell to connect something of Henry's to it, and ...and then what?" She locked eyes with the brunette.

"We'll get to that when we step over this bridge." Regina sighed, and laid back down. It seemed that they had a lot of bridges to cross over, and each one of them was even higher than the one before it.

"Which is?" Emma asked.

"Getting out of Storybrooke without losing my memory, and without either one of us losing our magic." Regina closed her eyes, "and that's the hardest part of the plan."

"Why?" Emma inched closer to the older woman, "because you don't want to use magic to maintain your magic? Isn't that a bit stupid?"

The former mayor, inhaled sharply. "No, because Gold is the only one that knows how, and he's gone missing since Henry…He's gone missing to God knows where, and we can't find him." She trailed. "I will use magic to maintain my magic, it can't be avoided." She sighed, this all sounded too foolish, but it had to be done.

"We can break into his office, and look for something that'll help us."

Regina's eyes snapped open, and she leaned up, and rolled her eyes at the blonde before laying back down, and closing her eyes. She knew she looked childish, but she very much didn't care. She was tired, and to stop the blonde from talking would be a bad idea. She worked too damn hard to convince the blonde of the importance of this plan, and now that Emma was bumped up, she can't pick on her.

"Okay, you already did that. Next time use your damn words." Emma pinched Regina's leg, and giggled as she heard the brunette let out a high pitch scream.

The younger woman let out a sigh, and it turned into a yawn. She maneuvered herself closer, glanced at Regina, and saw her peacefully laying in bed with her eyes closed. She glanced at the clock, and it read 3:12 a.m. She looked down at her own clothes, and saw she was wearing tight jeans, white t-shirt, red leather jacket, and knee length boots. The floor had a trail of mud, and what seemed like grass. She looked up again at Regina, and cringed.

"Regina?" she began.

"What is it, Miss Swan?" The older woman still had her eyes closed.

"Why am I in your bedroom in the middle of the night, looking like this?" She motioned to her filthy attire, not remembering how she got so filthy.

Regina opened her eyes, and resumed staring at the ceiling, "you've been doing this for a couple of days now. Ever since you moved in." She shrugged.

"I'm doing what exactly?" Emma was beginning to panic, she literally could not remember why she was in Regina's room, looking like she'd just been in a fight. But she does remember that she wanted to talk about their plan.

"Sleep walking, and sometimes you..." She trailed, and leaned back up, and locked eyes with the blonde. Her right hand rubbing a bruised knee, underneath the sheets.

_Sometime you try to hit me._

"Sometimes I what?" Emma asked, her voice filled with worry and panic.

"Sometimes you pace around in my backyard, kicking mud." She wasn't lying, but she wasn't telling the truth either. The blonde had been sleep walking, and unconsciously ruining the brunette's house with her muddy shoes, and dirty clothes. Regina hadn't said anything about it, but tonight the blonde ended up in her room, and was keeping her awake from the hour or two that she normally slept before waking up at 5 a.m.

"Oh..." Emma was lost for words, "what else did I do?" She asked.

"Nothing dangerous, so I let you be. Maybe it's your way of blowing off some steam." She nodded, and her eyes caught the sight of the muddy boots of the blonde, ruining her carpet. She cringed inwardly, and looked away.

_What does it matter if it's clean or not? Nothing matters._

Emma, seeing where the brunette had been looking, slumped her shoulders, and looked down. "I'm sorry. I didn't even notice that I was in your room till I smelled you in the air." She closed her eyes at the choice of words, and turned her head to face the former mayor. "I meant-"

"-I know what you meant, I recognize your smell, too." Regina smiled genuinely.

_You smell like him. Like Henry._

Emma nodded, and started taking off her boots. She didn't want to ruin Regina's house any more than she did, "I'll be out of your hair, Regina. Get some sleep." She got up, and started for the door.

"Wait..." the older woman called.

Emma looked over her shoulders, "hmm?"

Regina inhaled, and exhaled sharply before she began, "you can use my bathroom, I can't have you leaving footprints on the floor." She lied. She just wanted the blonde to stay for longer, so she could fall asleep. In the last couple of days, she hadn't been getting a wink of it, and the blonde's presence was making her drowsier. Plus the company. She yearned for the company, and especially the blonde's.

"Uh, okay." Emma replied, before quickly disappearing into the en suit bathroom.

When the blonde got out of the shower, Regina merely patted next to her on the bed, and Emma wasted no time in climbing under the sheets.

"Good night, Regina." She whispered after a couple of moments.

The brunette kept silent, not wanting the fact that she was crying, come to light.

_Good night, Emma. _


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own Once Upon A Time. All characters belong to their respectful owner.

* * *

**Henry**

**4**

"I really think we should just leave, Regina." Emma said as she poured herself a cup of coffee. "There's a crazy person wrecking your kitchen on a daily basis, and you still want to live here?" The blonde sighed, and slammed the mug against the kitchen island, all against her own will to be calm and careful. Though, her constant change in moods often got the best of her. "I don't understand why you won't let me beat the crap out of them. How are you not effected by this?"

Emma could not find it in herself to understand why Regina, the former evil queen, the most badass mayor in the existence, the strongest woman she'd ever met, would take crap from people she could very easily rid of. She understood the necessity that she doesn't use magic for evil, but all of these nasty people blaming her for shit she didn't do? If she were to use magic, it would be for self defense, the blonde reasoned.

She wanted to keep her save, Emma knew as much. For whose sake? She didn't know anymore. It was all become mushed up together in a bundle of raw, and tight emotions. Sometimes she'd look at the brunette, and wonder if she was dreaming. Sometimes she'd look at the brunette, and wish that she were dreaming. To call her conflicted, is an understatement.

"I can't. I can't leave, Miss Swan." Regina answered firmly, and without taking her eyes away from the book she'd been reading since they woke up 4 hours ago. They had woken up, and decided it would be wise to pretend like nothing had transpired the night before, Emma hadn't sleep-talked about their dead son while on his adoptive mother's bed, and Regina didn't listen in, and they didn't end up on cuddling and sobbing themselves to sleep. Lets not talk about any of it, Emma had said, and Regina merely nodded in agreement.

_I don't want to leave, what if Henry comes looking for me?_

_What if he comes back, and I'm not around?_

_I can't leave._

_Not now._

_Not ever._

"Yes you can, Regina." Emma nodded, as if she had read the former mayor's mind. She shrugged at the lack of response from the brunette. "At least say something." She pouted.

"I'm hungry." Regina murmured, "I haven't eaten in a while." She nonchalantly added.

"How long is a while?"

"I don't know, a couple of days?"

Emma gasped, stood from her seat, and flicked the older woman's nose with her fingers, "then eat something. Or are you waiting for a proper feast of some sort? Should I bend on my knees and serve you, my Queen?"

The former queen smirked.

Emma blushed, "you know what I mean." She pouted again.

Regina shrugged, a hint of a smile upon her lips. "I know, though, I am not your Queen. Snow is." She glanced up, and chuckled at the younger woman's expression. "I don't have the time to eat, I have to figure out how to get out of town."

Emma sighed, and moved to the stove to make something for the brunette. Pancakes, she decided."But you still haven't answered my question." The blonde reminded.

A few minutes later, Regina answered. "What question?"

"Regina," Emma warned.

"Fine. I just think it'd be best if I stayed here, I can't just move away." She shrugged, and never took her eyes away from the book. It was still hard for the brunette to be completely honest with Emma. It all felt too knew, and foreign; this sort of relationship, where you get to be honest without consequences.

"You say 'can't,' but yes you can. There's nothing for us here. We are better off some place else. They know you live here, they know you're under my protection, but that's not enough." Emma moved back to the island, picked up her mug, and offered it to Regina. Her voice gentle, and it surprised her. "Here, drink."

Without looking up, Regina accepted the mug, and said her thanks, as a slight blush travelled up her neck, and cheeks. It was becoming more and more difficult for the former Queen to hide her affection towards the younger woman, but she found solace in the fact that Emma was the only one who apparently didn't notice this change.

"You said us," Regina whispered, fully aware that Emma would hear her.

Emma blushed, and scratched her head. Did she notice? She wondered. "Yeah, you know what I mean." She weakly argued, and moved back to beating the eggs, with the rest of the batter.

Regina finally looked up, "I don't." She answered firmly with a confident nod, but her rosy cheeks told a different story. "But I find that I very much don't care, regardless of what you meant, thank you." She smiled bashfully, and went back to her book.

Emma froze in place from across the brunette, and found herself thinking how incredibly adorable Regina just looked. Her mussed up hair, pulled up in a pun. Her sakura-patterned, silk robe, that loosely hung around her olive toned body, revealing the barest of soft skin. She wore black reading glasses, and had one hand gripping the book, and the other laced through brown locks.

_Breathtakingly beautiful._

"I see." The younger woman said, "good to know." She shyly muttered, before turning back to cook the pancakes.

The blonde was busy cooking, she didn't notice the heated glances she'd kept receiving from the brunette. Regina watched as Emma moved swiftly around her kitchen, like she had belonged there for years, and years. Emma looked every bit of a young, beautiful mom, preparing a meal for her kids. Oddly enough, that idea made Regina's body raise in heat. Oh how difficult it was for her to hide from the younger woman, when the were living together now.

Minutes later, Emma was done with the pancakes, and was preparing some scrambled eggs, and bacon. "did you find something?" She asked, as she continued cooking.

"Yes, I did actually." She was happy, and it showed through her tone. "I looked everywhere for this spell, and now I got it." She grinned.

Emma giggled, "that's good. tell me what it is."

"It's a spell that'll allow us to keep our magic when we leave Storybrooke." She beamed, "so we can use it over there."

"You mean Boston?" Emma asked.

"Yes." She smiled at the book, "Boston.." She whispered. She heard a clink, and looked up, seeing the blonde place a plate in front of her. Emma was smiling warmly.

"Now, eat." The blonde ordered, "enough with the book."

"No," Regina shook her head a no, "I have to keep reading this, and if we're lucky, we can leave by the end of the week." She went back to reading.

Emma wouldn't have it, she crossed over to the brunette, and forcibly took away her book. "Gotcha!" She grinned. "Would you just eat now?"

"Give it back, Miss Swan." Regina warned, "I need to finish reading."

"No, what you need to do is to eat." Emma hid the book behind her back.

"I can eat later, now give it back." She took a step forward, forcing the blonde to back away, until she was backed up against the wall.

"Give it."

"No."

"Miss Swan!" Regina caged the blonde in, with her arms pressed against the wall from each side of the younger woman's face. "Give it." She ordered.

Emma smiled, sucked in her lips, and shook her head a no. This was her new favorite game; Regina was just the picture of beautiful, and it set her heart on edge. She could just reach out, grab the woman, and hug her until their bodies melted into one another. She had this bizarre longing to be one with the former Queen. She didn't think of it in a sexual way, she actually wanted to be one with her like she'd been the missing piece, and it was her right to claim her.

Suddenly it all made sense, and for a moment, she wondered if Regina, too, felt the same way.

Did she?

"Miss Swan..." Regina inched closer, one hand dropping down to reach behind the blonde. "Give it." She whispered, her browns locking with greens.

Emma stayed still, staring right back at Regina. She shook her head, "no..." She whispered. Probably the only word she could produce.

"Emma..." Regina warned in a low husky voice, and tired to obtain the book again. Her reading glasses sliding down her nose, a few stray hairs framing her face. Not having any luck, she placed her hand on Emma's waist, trying to move her off the wall.

Emma wouldn't budge, and she kept that small amount of distance between her and the brunette. She didn't answer, just bit on her lower lip, looking at Regina from under her lashes. Was being this close to the older woman always this hard?

Regina licked her lips, wetting them. She channeled a glance at Emma's lips, and instantly her eyes were glued to them. "Just give it back..." She sighed.

A flicker of hope. Emma held the book with one hand, and slipped one hand from behind her back, gripped on Regina's wrist, stopping her movement against her waist. "No..eat your food first." She whispered, tugging at the older woman, urging her to come closer.

Regina complied, and spread her body fully against Emma's, both her hands loosely hung around the blonde's waist. "Emma.." This time, Regina wasn't warning, she was calling the younger woman for an entirely different reason. Or so Emma thought.

Immediately, she dropped the book, cupped Regina's face with both her hands, "Regina.." She whispered against her lips. They were so close, they could just melt into one another like Emma desired.

Hearing her name, Regina's hands instantly tightened around Emma's waist, and she grind against the blonde's. Was it intentional? She didn't know.

Emma gasped at the contact, before she closed the gap between their lips, kissing Regina in a bruising kiss. One of Emma's hands trailed down to the brunette's neck, bringing her closer, as their lips firmly pressed together. Regina moaned into the kiss, sending a shiver down Emma's spine, traveling to her core, and she whimpered. Or so Emma thought.

Regina broke away first, gasping for air. "No…" She said, but kept her forehead pressed against Emma's, not wanting to scare her off.

The blonde pressed her hands harder against Regina's neck.

Regina tried to break free, "we shouldn't."

Emma hummed in disapproval, "maybe we should..." She closed her eyes, and gave Regina a chaste kiss. "It feels right, Regina.." She whispered, and gave her another soft kiss.

A moment passed, and Regina shook her head, moving away from the blonde. This wasn't a good idea at all. The timing, the reasons, and even the setting was all wrong. Emma was lacking in human contact, and this was the easiest way to receive some, Regina deduced. She would give in to her, if only she had the heart to be tossed away after the blonde had sated her desires. Except she didn't have the heart for it.

"I'll eat now." She looked up and saw Emma's disappointed expression, and it sent a bang of guilt, drumming inside her chest. It's for the best, she thought.

* * *

"There's nothing here, Miss Swan." Regina sighed, and leaned across a wall at Gold's abandoned shop. She's back to 'Miss Swan' for the moment, because somehow she thought it would put a distance between her and Emma. Calling her 'Emma' was just too intimate.

Lets not talk about any of it, Regina had said, and to that Emma had snorted, before nodding in agreement. Regina had sat down, and ate her food, quietly, while Emma went upstairs to take a much needed shower.

After her shower, Emma had asked Regina if they could go check out Gold's shop again, and after an hour of whining about it, Regina relented, and so here they are. At Gold's.

"There has to be. I don't think Gold planned to leave..I mean look at the way he disappeared, I think he was forced. Even Mary Margaret and David think so, and they're still trying to get to him." Emma nodded Regina's way, "come on," she offered her hand, "lets look some more. I need you to tell me if the things I find are worth something or not."

Regina glanced at Emma's hand, before sighing. Why did she have to hold Emma's hand? Was she not an adult? "If you find something, come show it to me, Miss Swan." Regina said, but took Emma's hand anyway.

Emma smiled Regina's way, "thank you." She entwined her fingers with the brunette's, "we will find something, I promise."

"You should never make promises, Miss Swan." The older woman warned, as she allowed the younger woman to drag her further inside the shop. "As much as you think you can keep them, sometimes you just can't." She finished with a sad smile, and lowered her head watching Emma's feet collide with the floor.

_I promised my son I'd always protect him, and now look what happened._

"I make promises to keep them, Regina." Emma stopped walking, and with her free hand, fiddled with a weird looking book charm. "The pressure makes me work better, and if I couldn't keep them, then I'll-"

"-Die trying." Regina finished for the blonde.

Emma turned around, and locked eyes with Regina.

"You've said it before, when we had.." The former mayor trailed, and looked away.

"When we were fighting?" Emma asked, cocking her head so she would be seeing the brunette's face as she talked. "When I pushed you, and you fell and hit that ugly marble statue near the police station, and you hurt your head?"

Regina's head snapped to Emma's, "I don't blame you, Emma." She squeezed the hand that was laced with hers, "I don't..." she whispered, repeating her words for confirmation.

"I know." Emma's answer was simple, but her tone said she blamed herself. "I know..."

Regina sighed, and let go of Emma's hand. "I'll look, too." She gave a sad smile, before turning around and walking in the other direction.

Emma stared at her hand, and immediately mourned the warmth that had been engulfing it. She looked up, and saw Regina looking her way. The blonde turned around, not wanting the brunette to see her rosy colored cheeks.

After what seemed like for ever, Emma cleared her throat, "so.." She began, "what do you think this is?" She walked closer to the brunette, and showed her a skeleton key, that very much resembled one of Regina's.

"That's mine," the older woman exclaimed, "it was in my safe." She frowned, and picked up the key from Emma's hand. "But..." She trailed.

"What?" Emma asked, keeping her eye on the key.

"It feels different." Regina finished.

"What do you mean it feels different?" Emma asked, looking around them to see if there was a lock that went with the key.

"It weighs differently, this one's much heavier." Regina stared at it, "I think it's spelled." She knitted her brows, "Gold must have made a spell to change the appearance of objects." She paused, as her head cocked to the side. "I think…I think he was trying to frame me, Emma." She nodded, and looked up to see the blonde staring at her.

"So you're telling me that he was trying to set you up?" Emma was suddenly angry, and her nostrils were flaring with furry. "That son of-"

"-Language, Miss Swan!" Regina scolded. No matter how old Emma was, she would never permit her, or anyone really, to speak in that manner. They were in the presence of a Queen, and a Queen knows her manners. She walked to the blonde, and gave her the key. "Undo the spell." She ordered.

"What?" Emma looked at Regina, and rolled her eyes, "what now?"

"You heard me. Undo the spell, Miss Swan."

"I can't. I don't know how."

"I'll teach you." Regina shrugged.

* * *

"Alright, that's enough for today." The brunette inhaled deeply, "you did good, though."

Emma shrugged, "lighting a candle is highly anything good. At this rate, we'll never uncloak the spell."

"Don't be surprised, but it took me far longer than that to light a candle, myself." Regina smiled to herself, remembering how much she had sucked at magic.

"How long?"

Regina was silent.

"3 days?"

Silent.

"7 days?"

Silent.

"10 days?"

Silent.

"No way!" Emma gasped.

The brunette laughed, "I told you not to be surprised."

"How long, then?"

"About a month," Regina said, but withheld the fact that she was 17, and under tremendous pressure.

"That makes me feel better. Maybe I can uncloak this damn key." She smiled.

"It doesn't matter if we don't uncloak it. I don't care if he was framing me, and I don't care if no one believes me if it came down to my word against his." She bit her bottom lip, but that didn't stop her next words. "As long as you do, Miss Swan."

Emma's eyes shot open, and she looked across the kitchen island. "What did you say?"

Tentatively, Regina answered. "As long as you believe in me, Emma, I don't care what the others think. I only need you."

Watching Emma's eyes dilate, Regina added, "you're the only friend I need."

The younger woman dropped her head slightly, "oh," she said, and looked away. "You're the only friend that I need, as well, Regina." She looked up, and gave the older woman a small smile, it was sincere, but clearly laced with hurt.

Regina's heart did something, and she felt it in her guts. The feeling was foreign to her, but she'd been feeling it since they had lost Henry. She knew when that feeling overcame her, then she must have done something wrong.

"Come on," she said, "you should hop in the shower. You're not going to bed smelling like you do."

"Hey!"

The brunette laughed.

* * *

Emma took off her clothes in a seconds, and hopped under the shower. She shrieked when the cold water hit her back, and travelled down her body. It was frosting, but the blonde made no move to evade it. She stayed still, liking the numbness it was making her feel.

A moment later, the water turned warm. She relaxed her back, and pressed her forehead against the tiles, her right hand on her heaving chest, and her left hugging the rest of her body tightly. She sighed. Sighing seemed natural to her nowadays. She sighs when she wakes up, when she eats, drinks, or reads. She sighs when she showers, when she walks, talks, or breathes. It was just something that she found herself doing constantly.

The water felt nice against her skin, it had a rhythm that made her mind wander into dream land. She felt all energy leave her body, and her knees gave in. She slowly lowered her body, and sat on the tub, hugging her legs. She tilted her head, resting it on her bent knees. She was still awake, but her mind was in a daze of warmth. She closed her eyes, and thought of Henry. In her image, he was smiling, and stuffing his face with chocolate cake. She smiled at the image in her head

"Henry," she muttered. "I miss you so much."

"I miss your smile. I miss your voice." She whimpered.

"I miss the way you smelled of dirt whenever you played with David," she chuckled, "and you guys never seemed to notice how bad you smelled."

"I miss your whining, too." She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.

"Henry," she called, "Henry, it's unbearable."

"Please," Her voice hitched.

"Please, just come back to me."

She let out a soft whimper, and took deep, heavy breaths.

"If not for me, then come back for Regina."

On the other side of the door, Regina was listening in; her right hand muffling her sobs, and her left pressed firmly against her guts. There it was again. That foreign feeling, wrecking her body into pieces.


	5. Chapter 5

I do not own Once Upon A Time. All characters belong to their respectful owner.

* * *

Henry

5

She readied herself for the expected heavy weight as she eyed the brown, leather suitcase. It wasn't the type where you could wheel it away, it was old type with the belts, and a handle to carry. Strange, she thought. She would've guessed Regina would have the latest trends with the way she dressed and carried herself. With a sigh, Emma leaned down, grabbed the suitcase's handle, "Here we go!" and hoisted it up into the trunk. "Oh," It was surprisingly light and for a moment she wondered if Regina had packed anything at all.

Shaking her head, she turned to face the brunette who was standing by the door's frame. The former mayor was engrossed in studying the empty mansion for the last time before they head to Boston. Her hands were outstretched as if she were trying to reach for something in the distance, and it occurs to Emma that maybe Regina was seeing something, so she turned around and gave her some privacy.

The brunette took a step forward, and held the door with her right hand as she continued to stretch her left. Her eyes were closed shut, and she had a smile on her face. A smile that she used to put on whenever Henry was about to jump those last couple of steps, and into her mother's arms. Her smile broadens, and she lets out a chuckle. She thought about him. She relived the moment in her head. He was about 5, and he was coming down the stairs with his spiderman pjs on.

* * *

_"Henry," Regina called, her voice low and playful. "Sweetie, don't."_

_"Don't do what, mommy?" Henry asked as slowly he descended the stairs._

_She wrinkled her nose, and Henry let out the most adorable chuckle. His voice was an instant mood-changer. If she was burdened with being a mayor, and she heard Henry produce that sound, it immediately brightened her day. He was her son, and the apple of her eye. She saw no one else, and she trusted no one else._

_"Henry," she called again, and stepped forward towards the stairs, her palms held up in front of her. "Baby, I don't want you to get hurt."_

_"But I won't get hurt, mommy. You won't let that happen. You will always catch me, won't you?" He said with a frown on his face that said I-don't-understand-what-you're-saying._

_Regina could almost see tears in his eyes at the notion that there would be a time where she wouldn't catch him. That there would be a time where she would let him get hurt. "Impossible, honey. I would never let anyone hurt you. And I," she stopped at the bottom of the stairs, her arms stretched in front of her, "Will always…" she trailed as she locked her eyes with Henry's, "Always catch you."_

_He smiled, and Regina thought she'd started melting where she stood. He didn't answer her. Not in words, really, but with a wide grin as he climbed up the stairs, ran down, and jumped into her arms. "Wheee," he sang, "I'm spiderman!"_

_The brunette chuckled, "you are MY spiderman," and buried her son against her body. She held him tight, and promised herself to always catch him when he falls. To always protect him from danger. To always be there for him when he needs her._

* * *

"Regina…" Emma placed a hand on the brunette's shoulder, and patted her once or twice.

The older woman jumped at the touch, and turned to face the blonde. "Emma…" She said, her voice hoarse and low. It took her more than a minute to register what she was doing, and she swallowed. She snapped her head towards the stairs, and stared at it. That time was the last time Henry had ever jumped into her arms. After that he had a falling with spiderman, and had taken to hulk.

She shook her head, and faced the blonde once more. "Ready?" she said with a slight smile.

Emma stared at Regina for a beat before nodding. She held the door open for the brunette, took one last glance at the house, before she exited the mansion herself. It wasn't long that she had lived with Regina. A bit more than two months, but she found that she would miss it indeed. One thing she wouldn't miss, though, was the intruder that had been messing up Regina's kitchen on a daily basis. Emma had promised the brunette not to ask, and Regina had promised to tell her when the time was right.

They walked slowly towards the benz; Emma had dumped her bug somewhere in the woods. It reminded her too much of Henry, and it just held too much past in them. Should they succeed in bringing Henry back, she'd go back and retrieve it. If not, then she'd forget about it. Sometimes when things carry too much sentimental value, it can get a hold of one's soul. While recovery chips for alcoholics was a positive thing, Emma's bug was the empty booze bottles for alcoholics.

Regina stood still near the passenger's seat, "Thank you," she said, her eyes cast downward, "For being there for me, and I'm sorry for pushing you away."

Emma nodded, "Regina, you don't have to say anything. I pushed you."

The brunette glanced up, and locked eyes with Emma. She smiled, "You deserve better." She told her, "And trust me when I say this. Better is not me."

The blonde just nodded. She was tired of it all, and just wanted to get on the road. What had happened between them wasn't going to stop the both of them from trying to get Henry back. It was trivial, and in the depth of her heart, Emma was blaming herself for pushing Regina.

She smiled, "Lets go, Regina. Lets get our son back."

The brunette sniffed, "Lets," she said, and got inside.

The blonde eyed the mansion for the final time, remembering the first time she'd seen it. Henry had brought her to Storybrooke, and at the time, she had thought him insane. She smiled at the memory. It all seemed a long time ago, and yet very fresh. If she closed her eyes, she could still picture Henry running towards her with his arms wide open. She could still hear his voice echo throughout town, and feel his presence when shivers under the coldness of the night. It was amazing how well she could remember him when she hadn't known him for that long.

She glanced at the older woman nestled inside the car, and realized how hard it was for her to leave this place. How hard it was for her to lose Henry. It wasn't a competition, but Emma noted that it must be harder on Regina. She had him for 10 years. She had 10 years worth of memories to contain.

"If," she started in a whisper, "If Regina's right, and you are here, Henry. Then please…" She trailed, "Please I beg you to wait for us. Don't go anywhere. If you see a light, run as fast as you can to the other direction. Don't go towards it, you hear me?" She looked down, and nodded. She looked up into the blue sky, it was clear and the sun was beginning to rise. "Bye Henry." She said, twisted the door handle, and got inside.

* * *

"Regina, my magic doesn't work like that. It's not something I can fucking summon. It comes to me when I need it, and right now, it's telling me that I don't need it. This key, whatever it's hiding, there's nothing important behind it. It's just once of Gold's tricks."

They'd been working on Emma's magic for days now, conjuring up ways to uncloak the skeleton key Gold had spelled. Regina had been very patient with the blonde, teaching her at her own pace. In return, Emma had been very rude to the brunette, getting on her nerves whenever she had the chance to do so. It hadn't been intentional, but Emma was feeling anxious, and rejected. Every time she had tried to make a pass on the older woman, Regina would turn her down gently, saying they shouldn't and that it would only make things more complicated for them. But there's only so much the blonde's ego could handle. She was, after all, a Charming.

"Miss Swan, can to listen for a minute? Can you really listen without being so stubborn about everything I say. I'm not trying to con you here. That's your speciality."

Emma had smirked, and pushed off the stool. They were in the kitchen, and Regina had been cleaning as usual. "She appears." The blonde had said as she stalked towards the brunette. She had smacked her hands against the wall, successfully trapping Regina between her arms. Emma had locked eyes with the former queen, and inched closer.

Regina had shook her head, "She appears!" She said, throwing the younger woman's words at her, and pushing Emma away from her.

Emma had shook her head, and backed off. "I can't do this," She had said, acting up like a ten year old. "I can't do magic whenever I can, Regina, it just happens!"

"So you've said!"

"And I'll say it until you understand!"

The brunette had gritted her teeth, and rolled her eyes. "I told you, miss Swan. There's no way to uncloak it without using magic." Regina had calmly stated, absentmindedly hugging her body. This was going nowhere.

"You do it then. You have magic, and you actually know how to use it." Emma had repeated herself for the hundredth time this evening. "It's not like you're using it for evil. We actually need to use magic, we're not doing this for the fun." The blonde had answered, glancing up at the brunette that had situated herself near the entrance of the kitchen, wiping remains of what seemed like rotten apples off the rails of the wooden door.

The blonde had offered to help the brunette plenty of times before, but was met with rejection each and every try. So she settled for the second best thing she could offer, her company. What she didn't know though, was that Regina preferred to clean in the company of utter, and complete silence, as it had been a time for her to let go of the present, and completely submerge herself in the past; fondly remembering her son, Henry.

The blonde had rolled her eyes, and crossed her arms. She had found the stool, and occupied it again. She was angry, of course, but it didn't last long. It never does. She had bitten her bottom lip, scolding herself for being so damn foolish. She knew what she had been feeling for Regina was a little more than attraction, and she knew Regina felt some sort of pull towards herself, too, but she just didn't know how to communicate with the former queen.

It hadn't been all bad. Not at all. They had gotten along just fine, actually, and they had come to a mutual understanding when it came to getting Henry back. But things had always gotten ugly when they were practicing magic. The younger woman could not understand for the life of her why Regina couldn't just uncloak the key by herself. And Regina had been insistent that it had to be Emma.

"Regina?"

"Oh, come on. Now the silent treatment?"

The former queen had eyed the younger woman, then had went back to cleaning.

"Regina, just do it. Uncloak the damn key. No one's gonna say shit about it, you're under my protection. I won't let anyone hurt you."

"Regina…"

"Say something!"

"I can't use magic, Miss Swan!" Regina had snapped, "I can't use magic."

"Because of the promise you made to Henry!?"

"Because I don't have it anymore! I tried using magic, it's just not there!" She had stalked towards the blonde, "Are you happy now? Are you happy knowing I'm useless in this little adventure of ours? You don't need me to bring Henry back."

Emma had kneeled her head in shame. There was no way she didn't need Regina. Because she did need her. In fact, without her, Emma would have been in a bar picking up a fight with a man twice her size. She hadn't said anything, though. She had a feeling Regina wouldn't believe her anyway. "I..I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"No, you didn't. I didn't want to tell, and I didn't want to be pushed into telling." She had shook her head, "Just go to bed, they're gonna be here soon."

The younger woman had nodded, and glanced at the clean kitchen. It was such a fucked up situation Regina allowing the intruder to go this far. But now that she knew that the brunette didn't have her magic, "Are you not blowing them to pieces because you don't have magic anymore?" She had asked with a serious tone.

"No, Miss Swan."

The blonde had gasped, and her eyes widened. "Wait, Regina," She had said, "What if I take the key to the other side of the border? Wouldn't that uncloak it? There's no magic outside of Storybrooke."

Regina had eyed the blonde for a minute before nodding. "It's worth a try," she had said.

* * *

"Here goes nothing," Emma had said, and walked to the other side of the border. The key had immediately transformed into a book, revealing its true nature. The blonde had laughed, "Hey! It worked."

"It did!" Regina had said from the other side of the border. "What's it about?"

Emma had opened the book, and shuffled through the pages. "There's nothing," she had said in a low whisper. "Fucking Gold. I'm going to kill him!"

"Show me the cover."

The younger woman had held the book up, "Do you recognize it?"

"Now flip it to the back."

Emma had flipped the book, "Is it yours?"

"No. But I think I know Gold's real intentions. The book appears to be cloaked, and the spelled at the same time. In order to read it, we need to uncloak it first, and then spell it."

"But there's no magic here. How come the spell didn't wear off?" Emma had said from the other side of the border.

"There isn't. This is dark magic. Very powerful, and lasts longer." Regina had shook her head, "but it seems that Gold really didn't want anyone finding what's in that book, except for me that is. He knew I'd understand how to solve this." She had extended her hand, and Emma took it.

Stepping back inside Storybrooke, the book had transformed back into a key. "So I couldn't have done anything?"

Regina had nodded.

"How do we solve it then?"

"The further away from Storybrooke we go, the spell would wear off on its own." She had looked up at Emma, engaging in a silent conversation where the blonde had raised her brows asking if it was time to leave, and Regina confirming with a sigh.

* * *

"Sunglasses, check. Wallet, check. Suitcases, in the trunk, check. Are we forgetting anything?" Emma asked, sporting a small smile.

Regina looked around the compartment, "Coffee mugs, check. Food and snacks, check. Blanket, check." She cocked her head to the blonde, "One miss Swan, check."

Emma let out a chuckle, "One mayor Mills, check."

Regina rolled her eyes, "I'm not mayor anymore."

"Oh, please. You will always be mayor to me."

"How so?"

Emma laughed, "It's like when you're in school, and somehow you end up meeting your teachers outside of school. They'll still be your teachers. You know?" She asked, but realized that Regina wouldn't know.

The brunette shook her head.

The blonde smiled, inserted the key, and roared the engine to life. "It's like my fifth grade teacher, Mrs Anderson. I met her again when I was 21, and she still had this aura around her. Like," Emma stepped on the gas paddle, moving the car.

"Like she will always be my teacher. Same with this guy I knew when I was 19. He was a barista, and we called him barista Kay. If I were to meet him again, he'd still be barista Kay to me."

"Oh," Regina said, "I see."

Catching on the brunette's tone, "There are exception, of course."

"I'm sure there is."

Emma bit the insides of her cheeks. This was getting nowhere, and she was being misunderstood. What she wanted to convey, and what she wanted Regina to comprehend were completely two different things. She meant to say that she would always respect her like she still respected her teacher, and, this guy she once knew him, barista Kay.

She sighed. Well, shit.

Regina slid the front mirror open, checking her face. It was like she thought, there were tear tracks all over her cheeks. She took a deep breath, and swallowed her anger as to why Emma hadn't said a word. Perhaps she was afraid of her because in the blonde's eyes she was still the mayor, the brunette thought. Perhaps she didn't care enough.

"You're still mayor to me because I respect you." Emma admitted.

Regina raised a brow.

"I know I treated you badly before, but I was angry and grieving. After I've calmed down, I realized how much I respected you." She elaborated, her feet stepping on the gas. If they were gonna do this, then they better get to Boston fast.

The former mayor nodded, and finished wiping away her tears. "Thank you," she said in a low whisper.

Emma grinned, "You're welcome." She drummed on the wheel, happy that she'd made the right move in telling the brunette. They really should find a better way to communicate if they wanted to do this, and not talking, hiding the truth, and lying was not the way. She figured from now on, she'd be honest with Regina.

"Let's get to Boston!" She beamed, glancing at the clock. "Four more hours to go!" She said enthusiastically.

"Four more hours minus 2 minutes. Oh yeah!"

Regina shook her head, "Are you going to be a child for the rest of this trip?"

"But, I thought I am a child. You've called me such on numerous times. Remember?"

Regina smiled, "And you what? Thought you'd prove me right?"

Emma made a show of trembling her fingers, and shaking her body in supposed fear. "I wouldn't dare try to prove you right. You are always right, mayor Mills."

The former mayor chuckled genuinely, "Well, that's good. You be a good girl, miss Swan, and you won't be in trouble."

"I shall be good, I promise you this on my life!"

Regina burst into laughter, and stared at the younger woman, as Emma, too, laughed. "Such a silly girl."

She didn't know that Emma's heart had started pounding against her chest. She felt her throat tighten, and her stomach do a flip. That voice right there; Regina's laughter, was her instant-mood changer. If she could hear it after the burden of being the savior, it would immediately put a smile on her face.

* * *

She tried to stay awake, but after two hours of small talk and awkward silence that wasn't so awkward, the brunette fell asleep. Emma glanced at the former mayor with longing in her eyes. At first, she looked over for 2-3 seconds. Then it became 4-5 seconds, and when the she heard a car honk at her while she was admiring Regina's lashes, she knew it was time to park the car and recompose herself.

The remained asleep, she looked so tired. Emma rested her head atop the wheel, and to the side so she would keep watching the peaceful older woman. The rise and fall of her chest reassured her that she was still asleep, and the blonde took that as a chance to reach out, and tuck a strand hair behind Regina's ear.

"Beautiful," she whispered.

She glanced around, and the sun was already up. Several cars were passing them by, but other than that, it was very quiet, and peaceful. Emma sighed, this was really good. The whole trip was such a good idea, and to be this serene at heart. Her eyes got filled with tears, albeit happy tears.

She sniffed, smiling at herself in the mirror. "Regina," she called, "Mayor Mills?"

The brunette shifted in place, but didn't wake up. Emma wondered how many days the older woman didn't sleep. She figured that with the intruder, the town's people trying to kill her, and with the blonde's family blaming her for Henry's death.

"Of course," Emma admitted. Of course you didn't sleep well.

She reached for the backseat, and retrieved the mug and food basket. It was nearly 10 in the morning, and they haven't had breakfast yet. She opened the basket lid, and grabbed a croissant. Taking a bite, she hummed in pleasure. "This is the stuff!"

She slid the mug open, and sipped the coffee. She hummed, "Jesus!"

Another croissant bite, "Hmm."

"Do you want me to leave you two alone?" Regina murmured as she stretched her arms. Slowly cracking her eyes open, "Or you three." She smiled.

Emma chuckled, "Here," she said, and brought the croissant to Regina's mouth.

The brunette shook her head, "I'm more of an apple girl."

The blonde wouldn't take no for an answer, "Here," she brought it closer, "You have to try this."

Regina arched a brow, "I made that."

The younger woman nodded, "Oh right. But still, have some!" She leaned in her seat, and practically shoved the croissant into Regina's mouth.

The former mayor grabbed Emma from the shoulders, tore the other side of the croissant, and shoved it inside the blonde's mouth. She chewed quickly, and took a sip of coffee from Emma's cup.

Emma giggled, swallowing down with a sip of coffee after Regina was done. "And?"

"And what, miss Swan?" She arched a brow, "Oh, right. Hmmm," She moaned, bringing the coffee back to her lips for another sip. The fact that they were sharing a mug, went unnoticed.

"You look like you need a minute, do you want me to step outside for a while."

Regina shook her head, "You do plan on being childish all the way to Boston."

Emma grinned.

"Why did you stop driving? Something wrong with the car?"

The younger woman chocked, "Yeah, no. Nothing wrong, just got a little hungry and needed to recharge."

Regina yawned, stretching her back. "Want me to drive?"

"No, that's alright. You sit back, and if you want, you can go back to sleep. Sorry for waking you up."

Regina hummed, "I see."

"What?"

"Nothing," The brunette said.

"Tell me," The blonde pushed.

"It's just you always do this." She reached for the mug, and pressed it to her lips, looking away.

"Do what?" Emma insisted.

Regina sighed, "Baby me. Like I can't take care of myself."

The younger woman chuckled, "I don't do- Okay maybe I do, but you don't really mind. Do you?"

Regina stayed silent.

"Look at me," Emma encouraged with a low voice. "Regina, look at me."

The brunette glanced at Emma, "No, I don't mind. I actually like it that you care." She admitted, a blush forming on her cheeks.

Emma beamed, "Knew it!"

"Don't." Regina said, "Just don't." She pushed the coffee mug Emma's way, and looked out the window. "I think we should hit the road so we can get there before lunch time."

The blonde nodded, "Alright," she said, "Alright, Madam mayor!"

Regina chuckled. Emma stared. There it was again. That voice she loved so much.

* * *

"No, thank you. I'd rather sleep in my car." Regina said, as she eyed the cheap motel across the street.

"It's just for one night, Regina. Come on."

"No. No way!" She said, sliding her hands inside the door handle. "Unlock the car." She ordered.

"Regina...You can't sleep in the car." Emma shook her head, "Boston, and you sleeping in the car all alone, and at night. No."

"It's not even night yet."

"It will be, though." Emma said, walking away from the brunette. "You bette get here, Regina. You don't know anything about this world."

"Is that a threat?" Regina said, her hands on her hips. "Don't answer. I don't care. I can handle sleeping in the car for one night, miss Swan."

Emma shook her head, "Come on, Regina." She coaxed playfully.

"If you respect me one bit, Emma, then don't let me sleep in there." She pouted, against her best wishes not to. She did look adorable, Emma noted.

Emma dropped her head down, and clenched her fists. "Fine. Sleep in the car." She turned, and walked away slowly.

"You're going!?" Regina asked. She didn't want to sound too desperate, but she did. This was a new place, and she had no idea of the dangers that surrounded her. Her pride, though. Her pride always won that battle.

"Yes, Regina. I don't want to sleep out there!"

The former mayor inhaled deeply, "The car key!" She all but screamed.

Emma turned around, threw her the key, and walked away."

Regina stood stock-still, eyeing the key next to her heels. She stood in place for a good 10 minutes, just thinking of what to do next. She could take the car, and look for a better hotel, but this was a new place, and she really didn't want to leave the blonde behind. More like she didn't want the blonde to leave her behind.

The brunette sighed, and bent over to pick up the key. When she got up, she felt hands on her hips. "Hey!" She shrieked, turning to face the person behind her.

"Hey," Emma casually said. "You sound a bit frightened."

Regina's eyes widened. "You little monster!" She said, pushing at Emma's chest. "A bit? You did that on purpose!"

"What? No. I was just out to get my suitcase. Me don't want to sleep in jeans." She shrugged, and walked to the brunette. "The key?" When Regina made no move to hand over the key, Emma reached for them herself from the brunette's shaky hands.

Unlocking the trunk, Emma reached inside, grabbing her suitcase. Before she could close the trunk all the way, she felt Regina's hand on hers, "Wait," she said.

Emma glanced at her hand, then at Regina. "Mayor?"

"Just for one night." She looked up from under her lashes, "Promise me."

The blonde smiled, "I can't promise you- Ouch!"

"Promise me!" She said, pinching Emma's arm again.

"Alright, I promise."

"And miss Swan?"

"Yeah?"

"I know you sleep in your underwear."


	6. Chapter 6

I do not own Once Upon A Time. All characters belong to their respectful owner.

* * *

Henry

6

For how long was she supposed to take this before she'd be forced to tell the blonde about her habit of sleep walking? The brunette slid against the cheap motel door, and nestled on the disgusting, germ-filled, red, wool carpet that covered the just as disgusting room. Emma had been battling Regina to go out to go and: "Kill that son of a bitch." To whom she was referring? Regina hadn't a clue, but she knew Emma wasn't going to stop unless she woke up from her trance.

"Emma," She softly called, "We'll kill him in the morning, alright?"

"Not alright!" Emma exclaimed, and dropped down next to Regina. "It's not alright. He deserves to die. He deserves to die, Regina." She whined, sounding shockingly similar to their son.

The brunette studied the blonde's face for a moment, before she felt Emma push the entirety of her body weight against her, knocking them both over the cheap carpet. Regina cringed, inhaling deeply as she felt her back itch courtesy of the fake wool underneath her royal body.

When she felt Emma on her lips, she exhaled. "Emma," she said tiredly, placing a palm against the younger woman's forehead, and pushing her away gently. "Lets get you to bed. Come on, on your feet."

Emma went to grab Regina's face, but stammered ahead and scratched the brunette's cheek instead. Her mouth fell agape, and she placed a hand over her lips.

Regina shook her head, hauled the younger woman to her feet, and walked her back to her bed. She leaned down slowly, and laid Emma on the mattress. She reached for her boots, and took them off. "Jesus Christ!" Regina exclaimed at the smell. "Wear some fucking socks."

Emma giggled obnoxiously, her shoulders rising and falling with each hum.

"What!?" Regina snapped.

"You just cursed, Regina."

The brunette sighed, but didn't stop the smile that formed on her lips. "You make me this way, dear." She murmured as she pulled the covers over the younger woman's body. "Now, sleep."

"Yes, ma'am!" Emma replied enthusiastically.

Regina laughed, making her way to her singular bed on the other side of the room.

* * *

Something felt heavy against her chest, and it was definitely getting harder to breathe. She shifted in bed, her neck making all sorts of funny noises. She stretched her arms next, over her head, and then to her right. When she moved to stretch them to her left, she heard a sharp yelp. Emma opened her eyes immediately, her eyes widening. "Regina?" She asked, making sure her voice was low so she wouldn't wake the brunette.

Too late.

"Miss Swan," Regina said exhaustingly as she slowly opened her eyes. "What are you doing?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Emma said, not hiding her smile one bit as she felt Regina shift on top of her left breast. The brunette was nestled almost completely on top of her, one of her legs wrapped around Emma's left thigh. "Morning, your majesty. What have we here?" She said, eyeing Regina's leg.

Regina rolled her eyes, retreating her leg.

Emma swiftly grabbed the brunette's leg, and kept her in place. "Where are you going?" She asked, closing her eyes, and turning her face so she would place a soft kiss on Regina's right temple.

The older woman didn't resist the apparent gesture of affection, and opted for a sigh. She wasn't ready for this, and she knew the blonde wasn't either. This was lust, she told herself. This was Emma needing a body to warm her bed and to sate her sexual frustrations. Regina believed it would never turn into love. At least not for Emma. "Since you're so keen on conquering my bed, I think I'm entitled to yours."

"What are you talking about?" Emma opened her eyes, and glanced around the room. Yes. She was definitely in Regina's bed. In her defense, though, Regina was a beautiful, attractive, single woman who smelled far too good for this cheap excuse of a motel. If she wasn't drawn to her, then Emma wouldn't be human. "Oh," she nodded, looking back at Regina who now had her eyes closed, "That still doesn't explain this." Emma rubbed Regina's thigh, shifting even closer in the process.

Regina made a move to untangle herself.

"Wait," Emma protested, chuckling lightly. "I'll shut the hell up."

The brunette smiled against Emma's neck. "Honestly, Emma, if I wasn't this close to you I'd fall off the bed."

"That's the only reason?"

Regina didn't answer.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Ma'am. Please don't call the cops."

"Go to hell!" Emma sneered, leaning closer to the wimpy receptionist. He had a body resembling The Rock's, but once he opened his mouth, his true nature surfaced. Good, Emma thought. She had no idea what she'd do had his personality been otherwise.

"If we weren't in such a hurry, I'd shoot you with my gun. Except I won't have the time to get rid of your body." She smiled, grabbed her refund, and left the motel.

"What's wrong?" Regina asked, sensing the change in demeanor from playful as they left the room, to absolute darkness when they got inside the cab.

"Remind me one day to come back and kill that son of a bitch." Emma said, looking out the window. No one crossed the line when it comes to Regina, she mused with a smirk on her face, realizing how much she was willing to do for the brunette now.

The cabbie eyed the couple through the mirror, his eyebrows arched.

Regina shook her head, amused. "Are you a son of a bitch?" She asked, "Dear, are you a son of a bitch?" She asked again when the driver went blank.

The driver shook his head a no. "My mother is decent and loving."

The brunette shrugged, remembering Cora. "Then you have nothing to worry about, darling. This one here," Motioning to the blonde nestled to her left, "Is in the business of killing sons of bitches."

Emma snapped her head to the brunettes, "What do you mean?" She asked, amused by how many times Regina had said the word 'bitch.'

"Nothing," Regina said, chuckling. "Why do you want to kill the poor man?"

"The receptionist? He was taking pictures of your butt, and I caught him." She shrugged, and looked out the window again.

"Oh," Regina said in realization. She remembered that when they had checked-in yesterday, the poor man was indeed checking her out. And since there was no other possible explanation, then the man Emma had wanted to kill yesterday was the same person. "That's hardly a good reason to kill, dear." She murmured.

Emma heard, but chose not to answer. Regina would know better, she thought. Regina had killed so many times before, she remembered.

* * *

Regina held her breath in, watching with watery eyes as the luggage man held the door open for Emma and her. She was only told that the premier two bedroom suite was the best there was, and that it had free wi-fi. But what the brunette saw was beyond describing. It was like it came out of a dream. A very expensive dream.

"Here," Emma said, offering her hand, "Come see the rest of the place." She said with a grin.

Regina took the proffered hand, and allowed Emma to drag her to her bedroom. The room was wooden, huge, and styled in a late victorian style. The queen sized bed laced with silk covers, their colors ranged from burnt umber, to chestnut, to claret.

"Wow," Regina said, after the tiny tour was over. The suite had two rooms with queen sized beds, two en-suite bathrooms with complete claw bathtubs and showers. A connected living room and small kitchen. "This is wonderful," She was in awe, wondering how much it had cost the blonde.

"The best for the best," Emma shrugged, which she always seemed to do whenever she said something true, meaningful, or completely, utterly, and hopelessly romantic.

Regina stared at the retreating form of Emma, disappearing into her bedroom.

After a minute, Emma popped her head out the door, and saw the brunette was still staring.

Regina jumped, "What?" She said, a bit too defensively.

Emma grinned, "I've made you speechless." She told her, voice laced with a winning attitude. And perhaps she did win something. It's not everyday when Regina is impressed into silence.

Before Regina could open her mouth to protest, Emma disappeared into her room.

She wanted to follow her, pin her to the bed, and kiss her senseless. But Regina knew that right now she was too emotional, and it was probably not a good idea since Emma would expect more than just a kiss. Sometimes she hated that she was logical about everything. Sometimes she just wanted to be spontaneous, and fun to be around.

The brunette sighed, taking one last glance at the massive chandelier, hanging from the ceiling. It was beautiful. Everything was beautiful, but nothing compared the young woman who had given her the most beautiful gift of all.

"Beau," She murmured to herself, "En ta beauté gît ma mort et ma vie."

* * *

**8:23 p.m:**

They had gone out for lunch, and Emma had shown Regina around town. Nothing much, they just walked in silence as the blonde pointed out a few places she knew were good, and promised she'd take Regina to, "Once we're done with…with…" She had stammered, momentarily forgetting why they had travelled to Boston in the first place. She had looked at Regina, and they both had sighed at how much they'd both forgotten. So this is why people move when they face a tragedy, Emma had thought. It helps with forgetting.

After that, they had turned around quietly, and headed back to the hotel. Both inaudibly praying that the next time they visit Boston, Henry would be with them.

Now they sat in the living room, both cradling a cup of coffee, and nestled next to each other on the couch. Emma hugging the comforter, her legs crossed underneath. Regina had her legs bend in front of her, her head rested on her knees, and she was flipping through the channels.

There was something quite magnificent about the scene. The amount of comfort, and understanding the transpired between the two women was painfully calming. They weren't worrying about Storybrooke, or the fact that they were fairy tale characters. They weren't fighting, or in desapair. Everything felt so normal, and that, that was what made that moment exceptional.

Regina flipped the channel again, "How about this movie?"

Emma squinted her eyes, "Saw 3? I don't know. Do you like bloody things?" She asked.

"Not particularly. No." Regina changed the channel again, "How about this one?"

"Click on the info button."

"Which one?" Regina eyed the remote.

"I don't know. It would say Info on it."

"There isn't one." Regina pouted, "Are you sure about this info? No pun intended."

"I'm sure," Emma said, sipping from her cup. "Let me see," She said, placing her palm on Regina's wrist.

"No," Regina said, "I don't want you to hog the remote, and then I'd be forced to watch The Power Rangers again. No, thank you." She shook her head.

"Hey! I grew up with The Power Rangers." She put down her cup.

"They're so bad, and they destroy more stuff than they save. They should be called The Sucky Rangers. Get it? Because they suck." Regina rolled her eyes at Emma's open mouth.

"Watch yourself, Regina. I never said they were good, but they absolutely do not suck. Even Henry agrees with me."

"He absolutely does not!"

"Yes, he does. I watched an episode with him the other day, and he loved it so much he asked me if he could watch more."

Regina snorted, "Probably to make fun of them."

"No. Henry loves the power rangers." Emma arched a brow, and crossed her arms.

The brunette shrugged, "Then he watched to make you happy. He does that sometimes, and I have no idea why."

Emma laughed, "I see, you're just jealous. It's all becoming clear now." She leaned closer, and whispered, "Regina Mills is jealous."

"Of course I'm not! Just ask him, I'm sure he'll back me up on this one." Regina locked eyes with the brunette, and smirked.

Emma opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She turned away from Regina, handing back the remote. Whatever bubble they conveniently created to shelter themselves, popped wide open by the knives of the harsh reality, aimed straight to their hearts.

The blonde sniffed, "Good night, Regina."

Regina nodded, a hand to her mouth, muffling her cries.

* * *

**12:30 a.m:**

"Regina?" Emma said, walking inside the brunette's room. "Can I sleep with you?"

"Not again," The brunette grunted from under the covers.

"What?" Emma asked, hovering on the other side of the bed.

"You're sleep walking, aren't you?" Regina turned to face Emma, "Is there another son of a bitch you'd like to murder?"

"What are you talking about? What sleep walking?" She sat down.

Regina's mouth fell open, "Oh," She said, "You're awake."

Emma shrugged, "I couldn't sleep." She slid under the covers, and inched closer to the brunette. "Do I sleep walk?" She asked in a low whisper.

A moment passed, then came the soft, "Sometimes. Yes…"

"What do I do?" Emma asked, tugging at Regina's shoulder so she would face her. When she did, Emma gasped. "You've been crying."

Regina ignored her, and opted to answer her question in hopes of some sort of distraction. "You discuss plans, and vent about killing son of bitches."

"What?" Emma said, clearly amused.

Regina ignored the hand tracing the scratch marks on her chin. "It's like I said. You've got a lot of people you want to kill, dear. I'm surprised you haven't already."

Emma nodded at that.

Regina smiled, closing her eyes.

"Did you do this to yourself?" Emma asked after a beat of silence. She had seen the scratch marks when they woke up this morning, but she figured if Regina was hurting herself, it was best not to tell her to stop, or she'd do it more.

The older woman opened her eyes slowly, and shook her head, looking down at the sheets.

Emma hummed, "You sure?"

"I'm sure." Regina replied, her voice sounding like she was far too younger than she really was.

Something clicked in Emma's head, "D-did I?"

Regina closed her eyes, "Maybe."

"Oh, God. I hurt you." Suddenly Emma was ditatching herself from the bed, and trying to get away. "I'm going to go back to my room, you look your door from the inside."

Regina stared at her for a moment, and then pulled the blonde back in bed from her wrist. "I can take care of myself, Emma."

"I don't want to hurt you."

"I know."

"You don't understand, I'm stronger than I look."

Regina smiled, "I know."

Emma slid back inside the covers, and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I didn't mean to, you have to believe me."

"I know," Regina said, "I know that, Emma."

"Why didn't you tell me? I'm sorry, Regina."

"I know, don't worry about it."

"I'm so sorry I did that to you. I don't even want to think about what else I've-"

Regina leaned over Emma, and lightly pressed her lips against the shaking, younger woman. Emma closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face as she kissed back.

The kiss was sweet, light, and said so much more than Regina could. It, however, lasted for just a moment, and then Regina pulled back. Emma gasped at the lost contact, reached for Regina, and embraced her in a hug. "Thank you," She said.

The brunette wanted to thank Emma for the kiss, too, but she was afraid if she spoke up, then she'd start crying as well. So she settled for tightening their hug. Indulging in the heat and comfort of their close proximity. This was definitely something she could get used to.

After what seemed like hours, "I'll go see a doctor about my sleep walking." Emma said.

"You don't have to," Regina replied, "You're mostly harmless."

"Maybe, but I won't wait around till I become otherwise."

Regina inhaled deeply, "Maybe you're right. I'll go with you, and describe to the doctor what you do and say."

"Thank you, that would really help." Emma said, nuzzling her nose against Regina's hair.

"No problem."

A few moments of silence, then Emma began again, "Tomorrow," She said, "W-want to go on a date?"

Regina buried her face deeper in the crock of Emma's neck, and brought her hand to the small of her back. Tomorrow, she thought. Tomorrow they should get separate rooms, or soon Regina wouldn't be able to hold back.

* * *

Two miles away from the hotel, Neal stood on the street in the arms of his beautiful fiancé, pressing soft pecks against the length of her neck. He pulled back after a few moment, and smiled at her. "Tamara," He began, "I love you, you know that. and I promise I will never leave you. You are the love of my life." He wrapped his arms around her, and brought her closer.

"Neal," Tamara said with a shaky voice, "How do I know you won't just leave me again? How do I know you won't abandon me like you abandoned her."

"Who? Emma?" He exclaimed, "I told you about her to assure you that you're the only one. I wanted to be honest, and aside from her, I had no other meaningful relationships. Just you."

She shook her head, "You still love her."

"I do, but just as a friend. I promise you. I don't even know where she is at the moment."

Tamara seemed convinced, and she nodded. "Then, take me to her and show me you're not hung up." Well, maybe she wasn't convinced.

"Tamara…" Neal trailed.

"No, you take me to her tomorrow, or the engagement is off!" She untangled herself from his grasp, and moved away.

"Hold on! Don't be like that!" He followed her.

She turned to face him, pointing a finger at his chest. "You take us to her tomorrow, or the engagement is off."

"Fine," He nodded, "If that will convince you, then I'll do it." He inched closer, and placed his palm against her stomach. "I'll take us to her." He crouched down, "Even you, little buddy."

* * *

A/N: "En sa beauté gît ma mort et ma vie." By Maurice Scève. I just changed it a bit so it would be Regina saying about Emma.

Thanks for the reviews, follows, and favorites.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

I do not own Once Upon A Time. All characters belong to their respectful owner.

* * *

A/N: I want to let you guys know that I have no connection at the moment, and my friend Jay is the one posting these chapters after I've written them. I also have surgery on the 18th, and so if anything were to happen to me, Jay offered to finish up most of my fics. If I walk out of this alive, then all updates will be on Saturdays or Sundays.

The next chapter is one of the longest ones, I think, and it will have more SwanQueen, and perhaps a misunderstanding will finally come to an end.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

* * *

Henry

7

It took her 3 days to find Neal. Apparently, he was looking for Emma, as well. Something about introducing her to his fiancé, and something about his fiancé wanting to meet up with Emma. He sounded all too thrilled, actually, and if she knew any better, Neal was definitely holding something back. Something just didn't sit right with her, and she was about to find out soon enough.

Regina was surprisingly quiet for the whole three days. They ate, slept, and went out like a couple of old friends. Simply put, they enjoyed each other's company without Emma bringing up the whole dating ordeal again, and the brunette didn't comment on the subject, either. They did, however, continue to share a bed, cuddling, embracing, and so when the statement came, "I think we should downgrade to the one bedroom," Emma was on it the next day. It just didn't make sense, wasting all that money over an empty room.

Emma had received a ton of messages and missed calls from her parents, that she up and threw the innocent device against the wall. It had been the first time she'd heard from them after she and Regina had left, and for Snow and David to so casually call her up whenever they felt like it, did not sit well with the blonde.

They did, after all, try their best to have her admitted into a mental facility.

And. And, till this day, she was furious with how the townsmen had treated the brunette, after the woman had just lost her son. And while things were much better away from Storybrooke, Emma will never forgive her parents, the people, or the intruder who had been destroying Regina's kitchen day after day.

* * *

"Are you ready?" Emma asked the brunette, as they walked down the street to the bookstore. Regina had been getting bored all by herself while the blonde roamed the streets to look for Henry's sperm provider. Though she'd very much rather she had a small garden, or a house to clean, but perhaps polishing her French would occupy her time, she had thought.

They'd already found Neal, but still, they didn't actually know for how long they were going to stay in Boston. Emma was beginning to entertain the idea of renting an apartment, or perhaps a small villa by the docks.

"Ready for the bookstore?" Regina quirked a brow, and grinned to herself. "Let me check if I have my armor on."

Emma shook her head, and nudged at Regina's shoulder. "No, ready to meet up with Neal."

"Oh," Regina's sudden banter disappeared as quickly as it came. "Yes," She murmured. Sighing, she said, "I think I don't actually want to be there when you talk to him. I have no idea how you plan on getting him to give us...well, you know what...and it's just going to be too awkward with the evil queen sitting across from him."

Emma was quiet as they passed by a group of hormonal teenagers, chattering about in loud screams like the streets belonged to them, and them alone. Reaching the other side, "I get it." The blonde nodded, her voice implying that that was the end of their discussion. Regina didn't get that, so it seemed.

"Are you angry with me?"

"What?" Emma said, eyeing the brunette as they came to a stop right outside the bookstore. "No, I actually get it."

Regina stared at the younger woman for a minute, debating whether to push for the whys and hows of their initial subject, or to just go with the flow as Emma had once told her to. "Okay," She said, "I suppose as long as you get the job done." She gave a small smile, and entered the store.

"Are you sure?" Emma asked, and Regina was just unsure what they were talking about anymore, so again, she went with the flow.

"I'm sure."

* * *

Emma was not at all interested. She searched for a chair, and sat down immediately. Regina seemed like the type who'd think, and then rethink their decision, and it seemed like they were gonna be there for a while. "I'll be right here if you need anything," She murmured, grabbing the latest People magazine, and getting comfortable on her seat.

"Would you like a small read, like a novel or a magazine, or something that has more of an educational approach? How good is your French?" The salesman asked as he motioned to two types of books on the shelves 2 and 5. The blond man looked like a young male Audrey Hepburn, but with a little bit more curl to his short hair, and he had a small crimson apron on.

"Emma, what do you think?" Regina asked, but when Emma didn't answer, she glanced around the store looking for the blonde. Seeing her sitting so casually on a chair at the back, she turned to face the salesman with a little but more than annoyance decorating her face. "Give me a minute," She said quietly, and grabbed the magazine first.

After a moment, "You look very beautiful by the way." The man proclaimed in French, testing whether or not the brunette really knew how to speak French.

Regina's eyes widened slightly, and she took a step back, "Thank you," She said, and put the book back into the shelf. Sensing that he was following her around, she turned to face him, and summoned her best fake smile she could muster, "I think I'll take a look around."

"Alright," He said, still speaking in French, "If you need anything, just call for me. My name's Sammy, and I'll be right over there by the register." Regina nodded at that, and went to find Emma. She still felt him watching her as she retreated from him, though, and it made her feel unsettled.

"Enjoying yourself?" She asked, once she was right next to the blonde.

Emma looked up, and narrowed her eyes, "Where's your book?"

"I'm not getting any, lets just go." Regina tiredly said, and moved to leave.

"Wait, you wanted this book, why are you leaving without buying it? Did you not find anything you like? We can go to a different bookstore if you want."

"That's not it, I just don't feel like reading anymore. lets just go."

"Regina..."

"It's fine, Emma. I really did just lose interest."

"Well, is there anything else you want to get? We have 2 more hours till we meet up with Neal." At Regina's displeased look, Emma corrected, "I mean before I meet up with him."

"No," Regina breathed out, "There's nothing I want."

"Is everything okay?" Sammy equipped, a hand on his hip, and a raised brow.

"Yes, Sammy. Everything is just fine." She rolled her eyes, and huffed hot air.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" Emma barked, leaning in to catch the man's name tag. "Samuel, is it?"

He nodded.

"Well, Samuel, please go away. This is a private conversation if you must know." Emma crossed her arms, and looked at the slightly taller man pointedly. "Now would be a good time to leave." She told him off when the man refused to budge, and was looking at Regina like she had the final say.

"That man-" Emma started as Sammy walked away, but Regina cut her off.

"-That's why I wanted to leave, miss Swan." She looked anywhere but at the blonde.

"No," Emma said after a moment of pause. "You came to get a book, and we'll get you a book. I'm so sick of all these salesmen and saleswomen who flirt, and make it too damn awkward for the customers to shop freely. You can't let him get to you, and if he bothered you to the point of feeling like you want to escape the shop, then you tell them to stop, or you speak with the manager."

Regina closed her eyes, and shook her head, "It's just not worth it, Emma. Lets just-"

"-What's not worth it? A simple thing like purchasing a book doesn't have to give you a headache, and make you cower away like that."

"Excuse me," An old man said as he stood next to the bunch, "Is everything alright?"

"Yes," Regina said.

"No," Emma said, concurrently with Regina.

The seemingly calm man turned to face the blonde, and smiled, "What seems to be the problem?" He asked.

Emma faced Regina, and with her eyes urged her to speak up. When Regina refused to do so, Emma took a step forward, "My girlfriend here was trying to buy a book, and your employee, over there, was hitting on her."

The man straightened his features, and gave a stern look at Samuel, "I apologize. I'll make sure to have a word with him." He promised, and then turned to face Regina, "What book would you like to purchase? Maybe I can help?"

Regina glanced up at Emma, and when the blonde nodded, the brunette followed the old man to the French section of the bookstore.

* * *

"You need to speak up more, what happened to mayor Mills, Regina? Because, she, was the strongest woman I've ever met."

Regina sighed, trying her best to ignore the headache that was slowly turning into a migraine. "I've changed." She murmured, and continued walking towards the Chinese cuisine Emma was taking her to. This wasn't a date, she had to remind herself. This was 2 friends who're out and about, exploring the city. There wasn't going to be a kiss to seal the deal, or a promise of another date. This was just a means to an end.

The blonde, though, seemed to have another idea in mind. Calling the brunette her 'girlfriend' back at the bookstore, and standing up to her like that. Not a sane person would do that without any ulterior motives, Regina thought. She, however, had to put that crazy notion to rest. Tonight, for sure, she would sit down and talk to the younger woman about some ground rules.

"I'm not sure this is the one I used to like, but I suppose it doesn't hurt to try new things." Emma smiled, and held the door open for the brunette. "After you, my lady."

Regina swallowed down the snarly remark, and entered the restaurant.

* * *

2 hours passed by in a wink, and it was time to meet up with Neal. Regina went back to their hotel room, after she wished the blonde the best of luck.

Emma, on the other hand, was second guessing herself, and was about to change her mind. She hadn't seen the man in years, and for her to see him again, and after all he'd done to her, was just...

But what was even more crueler, was that Neal had lost the son he'd never gotten the chance to meet.

Emma had no plans to tell him of the fact, though. Her plans included an elaborate lie, that she, herself, was was about to get swept up in. But there wasn't any other way, was there? She had to do it that way, or Neal would suspect her, and she can't have him on her back. Especially since she turned out to be a magical woman, created by true love, and that was just the biggest secret anyone could have, Emma was sure.

Thinking time was over as Emma approached Starbucks, and was standing next to Neal's table in 10 seconds.

"Hey," Neal sheepishly greeted, as if they'd been talking just yesterday. He tried to give Emma a hug, but the blonde flinched away, which wasn't in her intention.

"Hey," She said, eyeing the beautiful woman sitting next to him. She nodded at her, and then turned to face Neal, "Tamara, the fiancé?"

Neal nodded, and had the audacity to grin at Emma. "The one and only," He said, smiling widely at Tamara.

"Hey, nice to meet you," Tamara said, extending her hand.

"You, too." Emma said, accepting the proffered hand. Well, this was gonna be difficult, Emma thought. They seemed to be genuinely in love.

"I heard so much about you, Emma." Tamara said, "Neal said you were the only one he was serious about."

"Before you, of course." Neal added.

"Before me, of course."

"He said that?" Emma shrugged, "I was young and naive. What did I know about serious? I think we just got carried away, and thought we were madly in love. I would say it was an infatuation from a young girl, barely 18 of age, and a man who had never met someone who could beat him at his own game." The lie was necessary. Hiding away her anger, and surprisingly, the bit of jealousy Tamara elicited, Emma continued, "You have nothing to worry about." She told her.

"Oh, is that so. Because that's not the way I remember it." Neal said, but was ignored by both women.

"So, when's the wedding?" Emma asked, wanting to know just how much she and Regina have before the man was off the market for good.

Or at least until he decides to up and leave his fiancé, like he did with Emma.

"We don't know yet." Neal, tiredly said, "But I suppose after the baby is born." He glanced at Tamara, and instantly his face molded into a genuine smile. He was happy, and it was unsettling to the blonde.

Emma's eyes grew wide, if only for just a few traitorous moments, and she pinched her thighs in order to keep herself from bawling over, and vomiting all over the place. Neal was going to have a baby of his own, while Henry was...

Not fair, she thought.

This was unfair.

Regina was unfair.

Her parents were unfair.

The whole world was just fucking unfair!

She gulped, and remembered to congratulate the two, "That's great!" She said, all to happily, or at least she thought she did. "I'm happy for you two."

"Emma..." Neal breathed out, and held his hand up as if to reach out for her, but then he decided against that.

"What's wrong?" She asked, bewildered that suddenly the air seemed thick, and Tamara was clearly pissed off.

"Emma..." He said again, his voice barely audible.

Tamara stood then, and abruptly sprinted off, leaving the two inside the cafe.

"What's her problem?" Emma exclaimed.

Neal stared at the blonde for a while, before realizing that she probably didn't even notice. He wondered if perhaps he's broken the young blonde to the point of no going back. With a tired sigh, he locked eyes with the woman, "You're crying, Emma."

"What?" Emma said, bringing a palm to her cheeks.

Yes.

She was crying.

"Oh," Emma said, "I didn't mean to..." She stood up then, and moved to leave.

"Emma, wait!" Neal shouted, grabbing Emma's wrist, and pulling her back. When his eyes connected with hers, Neal let go of her wrist, and looked away. "I-I..." He stammered, clearly wanting to say something. Something in which the blonde had wanted to hear, probably most of her life. His apology. But this was neither the time, or the place to do so. Instead, Neal turned to face Emma once more, and locked his eyes with the blonde, "Lets meet again, Emma. Just you and me. No Tamara."

She shook her head, "Why?" She asked, "You think I'm crying because of you!? Because I'm still in love with you!?" She barked, to which Neal shook his head furiously.

"No," He said, "No!" He repeated with more conviction. "I know that you're hurt-"

"-I'm not-"

"-Yes you are, and you know what!?" He said, "That's okay. I deserve it, and you deserve much more than..." He trailed, and shook his head, "Please...just meet up with me, and I'll explain everything...please."

She shook her head, and turned to leave, but Neal grabbed her wrist once more, "Please!" He pleaded, "I beg you!"

* * *

"He's engaged? His fiancé is pregnant, and she thinks you're still in love with Neal." Regina asked, fiddling with her hands as she glared at the blonde. She didn't know whether to be angry because she and Emma clearly had a problem now, or because Neal would throw the fact that he was happy right at Emma's face.

Emma nodded, "Yeah, and-"

"-So, Henry has a sibling now?" Regina continued, pacing around the room now, and trying her best not to obsess over the fact that the man will have a son, while they have lost theirs.

Envy was not good for her, and it was not good for the evil queen. Regina knew how far she would go to get what she wanted, and how far she'd go to prevent people from getting what they want, should it be similar to her desires.

But this baby...this brother or sister of Henry's, they weren't the same. They will never be the same person, and Regina knew that. Yet, she couldn't help but feel enraged. He throat was closing in, and her chest was heaving. She felt like vomiting, and she felt like in doing so, her heart would pour out of her body.

"That's not fair..." She said quietly.

She looked up at Emma with a face that said so much more than words can explain. A range of emotions played on her features; anger, hurt, betrayal, envy, vulnerability, and so much more.

"How is that fair!?" She exclaimed, and stalked over to Emma, "Tell me how is this fair!? Tell me!" She started shaking the blonde's shoulders, and trying to get a response when the younger woman remained quiet.

Perhaps that was her punishment, Regina thought.

Such a wonderful punishment.

Emma, after a few moments, restrained Regina's pounding hands, and held them close to her chest. She leaned close, and wrapped the other arm around the brunette's body, bringing her closer.

"Shhh," She said, and embraced the older woman tightly. She didn't know if this would help, but there was nothing else, was there? It's not like Neal was not allowed to have children. They were overreacting, and that was okay, Emma thought. Because being angry was better than giving up, and at that moment, it seemed like Regina was about to do just that.

She had no idea how, but her determination overpowered logic, and now all she wanted to do, was to get their son back. Try as she might, but she couldn't stop the next words from falling from her rough, chapped lips, "I will get him back, Regina. I will bring him home to us."

Gasping brokenly at Emma's words, Regina stopped all movement, and let her tears fall freely, but as quiet as can be. She didn't, though, stop herself from whimpering against the blonde's chest, and her hands from tightening their hold.

Emma took a deep breath, inhaling the older woman's scent, and planted a kiss atop her head. "I will bring him back, Regina." She repeated, "I promise you."

"I will bring him back."

* * *

It was exactly 24 hours later when Regina called up the blonde, and asked her to give up on bringing Henry back.

While Emma had been busy sucking on Neal's tongue, she had locked herself in the bathroom at his apartment, and had took Regina's call. Emma had heard the soft cries coming from the other end of the line, and the undeniably broken voice that had followed.

"Emma…" Regina had whispered, her voice barely coherent, and laced with sadness that had overwhelmed Emma to cry, as well.

"Don't do it…"

"Please…"

"Please don't sleep with Neal..."

"I beg you!"


	8. Chapter 8

I do not own Once Upon A Time. All characters belong to their respectful owner.

* * *

Henry

8

Contrary to what she had hoped, Emma sleep-walked that night, too. For the first time, the blonde noticed she was... unconsciously awake -for a lack of a better word- before Regina had to jar her back to reality. When she came to, however, the brunette was inside the en-suit bathroom with the door locked from the outside, and the key buried in sweat inside Emma's clutch.

She gasped loudly, she felt all her senses come crashing back to her body. Emma stumbled, losing her balance for a moment before her hand sought friction with the hardness of the beige wall. The room was dark, as usual, and it took her a while to adjust to the darkness; being the only light source was the light seeping from underneath the bathroom door like an uncontainable secret begging to be spilled.

Emma knew something was amiss this time around, but she couldn't quite figure out what it was. "Re-" She started, but her voice was so dry, it hurt when she swallowed a second later. Instead of ease, she got her throat more aggravated. She felt as if her throat was dry-scrubbed with chalk and sand.

Coughing her way to the fridge, located in the living room, she tiredly dropped to her knees with a loud thud, and only then she noticed the trail of blood running down her very naked left thigh, and another one that had already gone dry, on her right one. Inspecting her body - and ignoring the fact she was nude- she found more than a dozen cuts, though superficial, are more than enough to drain out a great some of her blood to make her dizzy.

Filing her wounds for a different time to look over, she fished through the fridge shelves, and found a bottle of overpriced water stuffed behind Regina's overpriced wine.

_I guess that will do._

Gulping from the bottle slowly, Emma made sure to focus her weight on her toes, as to not worsen the small gashes on her knees. "Regina?" Emma murmured to herself, testing her voice, and finding it hard around the edges. She got up then, and walked over to the bathroom.

A knock.

Then another.

"Regina?" Emma called loudly, "are you in there?"

"Emma?" The brunette's voice immediately sounded, "are you awake?"

"...I am," she said, not really knowing what the older woman had meant. "Why are you in there? And why am I-"

"-Let me out."

Emma stared at the door for a couple of seconds, then lifted a hand, twisting the door knob, "it's locked." She stated.

"Emma, you have the key. Unlock the door, and let me out." Regina's voice was suspiciously low and calm, but the blonde could not tell if the brunette was angry with her, or simply too tired to speak up.

_Probably both._

"I don't have the key."

"Look for it."

"Are you sure it's not locked from the inside?" Emma said, glancing around the room. Noticing her surroundings for the first time since she'd came to, her eyes instantly widening at what she saw.

Simply put; there was no other way to describe the state of the bedroom other than complete destruction. To the point where everything seemed to have melted together, creating one huge surface of utter wreckage. That explains the cuts, the blonde thought as she nodded in dread.

Glancing at the bathroom with this new-found knowledge, suddenly, Regina's safety was all Emma could think about. The brunette's question from earlier, "are you awake?" Echoed through Emma's mind, and she stumbled her way to the door.

_I've been sleep walking._

_Again!_

"Regina!" She shouted, "are you okay!? Did I hurt you!?"

"Emma, just open the door."

"Oh God, I did..." She took a step back, bringing a hand to her mouth. She muffled her tears, or tried to anyway, before they sounded, and searched for her discarded articles of clothes.

"I'm s-so sorry, Regina!" She said frantically, "I didn't mean to hurt you." In her state of shock, she'd failed to register that Regina was practically yelling for her to open the door, and that she wasn't hurt.

Then, "Emma!" Regina shouted even louder, breaking the blonde's trance to pieces, and pulling her back to the now. "Open the damn door!"

Finally, registering the older woman's words, Emma silently searched for the key. Finding it near the fridge, she walked back to the bathroom door, and without any moment of hesitation, she unlocked it.

Regina emerged from the facility, her face dropping against her chest, and her arms wrapped around her torso in a protective embrace. She walked right past Emma, closing the robe firmly around her body.

Emma watched her carefully, and noted that Regina had no injuries. But when she moved to touch the brunette's shoulder, Regina flinched away, and that was that.

Emma just nodded at the floor, "I'm sorry," She whispered, more to herself than to the former queen. "I'm sorry, Regina." And in less than 2, she was already dressed, wallet and phone in jacket, and was out the door before Regina could say anything.

* * *

In the midst of aimlessly walking around town, the hours passed by in a blink of an eye. Losing a great chunk of time, Emma was a little more than disoriented when she suddenly found herself sitting on the ground with her feet tucked underneath, and her fingers digging in her scalp.

"What...?" Glancing around what seemed to be a park, she remembered how she ended up there. After she'd stopped for a break, a man had bumped into her, sending her falling onto the ground with a loud thud. She doesn't remember his face, but she sure as hell remembers the pain.

Sighing tiredly, she stood on her feet, covering up her face with a palm. The sun was shining brightly over the horizon, and a glance at her phone told her it was just afternoon. Her eyes widened then. She had 6 missed calls and 3 new messages stacked on her phone's screen. Her cell phone was on silent since she and Regina had left Storybrooke, so she didn't quite notice she'd gotten them.

"Regina," She murmured with a low gasp, and pressed on the calls to see if it was really her. It wasn't the brunette, though, it was Mary Margret's number. Gritting her teeth, she clicked on the messages.

MM: "Emma, please come home. Gold's back, and something's wrong."

Not bothering to read the rest of the messages, she pocketed the phone, and walked to the nearest mini market, which was just a couple meters away. She grabbed a couple of donuts, a soda, and a large bag of cheetos. At the register, she grabbed a pack of gum, jelly beans, a twix and a mars. On her way out the store, she turned back, and bought a couple of granola bars, aspirin, and more packs of gum.

_Regina isn't around, might as well get whatever I want._

She walked back to the park, and sat down on a bench. Opening the bag of chips first, Emma dropped a couple in her mouth, leaving guilty cheese residue on two of her fingers. With her other -cleaner- hand, she reached for the soda and popped it open, gulping down the snack at a slow pace. Licking her fingers clean of cheese, she reached for the donuts brown bag next to her on the bench, and grabbed one.

Just as she was about to take a bite, her eyes landed on a roll of unopened newspaper lying next to her feet. Abandoning the donuts, for now, she grabbed the paper, and scanned through the first page. Nothing interested her, she skimmed through the pages.

An arrest has been made…skip. Democracy and its new toy…skip. Celebrity sells home for 20 millions…skip. Pandas are too lazy to reproduce…skip. Breakthrough in medicine…skip. One of the best couples'…

"…counselor relocates to Boston?" Emma murmured, as she fished for her phone once more. Without second thought, she pushed in the buttons, and hit dial. If there was anything that she needed, it was some help on how to handle Regina, or herself for that matter. Not that she and Regina were a couple, but it's definitely worth the shot, Emma thought.

"You've reached Dr. Armelle N. Charles clinic. This is Adam, how may I help you?"

"Hey," Emma said, "This is Emma, and I was wondering if doctor Charles did any couples' counseling between friends."

"Just a moment," The man said as he clicked on the music button, leaving Emma with her thoughts and the sound of pigeons fighting over breadcrumbs.

After what seemed like an hour, but was actually a good ten minutes, the man spoke again, "Emma?"

Emma, still in shock that she'd actually waited, when she'd usually hang up and curse like a one-legged-sailor, she jerked slightly at the man's voice. That's a first, she thought. She must be more desperate than she had calculated. What with the sleep-walking and the endless misunderstanding between her and the older woman, who would blame Emma when she really did curse into the phone, "shit!…still here."

"Wonderful." He said in a chipper tone, ignoring her little slip. "I've connected you with Dr. Charles." He stated, and without another word, he switched the call with the doctor.

* * *

Neal was pacing around his apartment, debating whether to call Emma or not. It was just too awkward the way they left things, and he definitely wanted to…wanted to…well, he wanted to 'fix' things, if that was even possible. He'd left Emma for her sake, but history tellers would beg to differ. The fact was, though, no matter what his reasons were, he did screw her over, and he screwed her over real bad.

Kicking his feet at the carpet, he let out a sigh. It was just a couple minutes past 4, and if he was going to call Emma, he'd better do it now before it was too late. Too late to ask for forgiveness, and too late into the night for them meeting to be appropriate.

"Alright," he said to his reflection on the mirror, and reaching for his phone, he dialed Emma's number.

"Hey," he greeted, "are you free now, Emma?"

The blonde grunted in dismissal.

"Please," he said, "give me just one chance to explain." He could hear her sighing, and he could hear the annoyance in her voice when she spoke.

"What is there to explain, Neal?"

"A lot," he said solemnly, "and you'd be surprised at how much I have to tell you."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean after hearing me out, you might even, one day, forgive me for what I've done."

"I doubt that-"

"-Emma, please…you know.." He continued, "I am sorry, and it might not be a good excuse, if you say yes to meeting up, but at least you will have closure."

"I already have closure, Neal!"

"Sorry…listen, hey, I didn't mean it that way. I want closure, not you." He sighed then, and lowered his voice, "Emma I think that if you just know…if you just listen to me, then everything will be much clearer."

Emma chuckled mirthlessly, "everything is clear, Neal." She gritted out, "you never really loved me, and you pinned your crimes on me. There's no confusion in that!"

"No," Neal calmly said, "no, Emma. I did love you, and I…" He trailed, "I will always love you."

* * *

"I will always love you," Neal sounded through from the other end of the phone.

Emma stood up then, and paced around the pevement. She'd wandered off at around 2 p.m, only to return to the park two hours later.

"I don't believe you," she said, but in her heart, she knew this was too good an opportunity to waste. If Neal really still loved her, then it's definitely show time. It seemed that no matter how much they'd spent planning for the big moment, all important moments in life came unexpectedly.

Same was with Henry's birth, and same was with Henry's passing.

Though now that opportunity presented itself, Emma found that she had no idea on how she'd actually obtain Neal's part of the pregnancy. She remembered Regina mentioning of a dark spell, but she had no idea on how to proceed.

"That's obviously a lie," Emma said after a brief moment of pause.

"It's not!" He insisted. "Meet up with me, and I'll prove it to you, Emma."

"Prove it to me? Prove it to me how exactly?"

"Please, just trust me-"

"-Hmph! Said the man who let me go to jail." She shook her head then, and without any warning, she hung up on him.

As soon as she placed her phone on the bench, she regretted her decision. She wasn't doing this for herself, she was doing this for Henry. So she would have to start doing better if she really wanted to bring him back.

Glancing around the park, only served to thicken the lump that had formed in her throat. The place was filled with parents and their children now, merrily going about their lives like her own wasn't as important. Like her life didn't turn upside down in the short span of just two years.

Shaking away the obnoxious feeling, with a grunt Emma reached for the phone, and dialed Regina's number. She would have to ask permission if she was to go through with visiting Neal. She would have to ask permission if she wanted to do what she was about to do with the father of her dead child.

* * *

Regina was hiding behind her book, reading away the french as if it was her mother language. Suddenly she felt a sense of pride of how much she'd accomplished during the time of the curse. She found herself listing all the hobbies and skills she'd managed to pick up through out the years.

The most recent one being how to play the violin. She'd always been an excellent piano player, but when it came to the her favorite instrument to listen to, the violin was just not as easy to crack. She'd always wondered if she had a teacher, would she be as bad as she were now.

Her phone sounded then, breaking Regina's train of thoughts. Animatedly dropping the book onto the couch, she stood and reached for her phone right away. It had to be Emma since no one else called her. Well, except for those who would call to complain, but she hadn't answered in so long, everyone just assumed that she got a new number so the nasty phone calls had stopped long ago.

"Emma?"

"Regina, hey, hi."

The brunette was unusually quiet, but showed no signs of irritation. "What do you want, Emma?"

"Right," Emma said, and Regina could feel the younger woman's nerves fry even over the electronic device. "I need to ask you something, and I will proceed only if you give me the green light to do so. I mean I know we said we'd cross over that bridge when we got to it, but I am standing in the middle of that bridge, and honestly I don't know if I want to walk back, jump off, or-"

"-I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about, dear." Regina said, sighing into the phone, "humor me and speak English?"

To say Emma was shocked by Regina's tone was an understatement, but thinking back to earlier in the morning, and how she'd practically locked Regina up, the blonde dismissed the snarky attitude, "Neal called me."

"Oh," came the immediate response, "and? What did he want?"

"He wanted to meet up, and... I think this is my chance."

"Your chance?"

"You know..."

"I know what exactly?"

"You know," Emma snapped, "what we came here for. Why we're in Boston?"

"Oh," Regina murmured again. "I see. So you think you can ask him for his...you know?"

"Umm...that's where I need your permission, Regina."

"Continue."

"I think there's a pretty good chance that Neal still likes me, and if that's true, would it be okay with the spell if you cast it while Neal's...'contributions' were inside me already?"

Regina was quiet for a long moment, her eyes widening in realization. Had Emma asked her that question months ago, the answer would've come easily to her, but now she found herself -not quite eloquently put- freaking the hell out. Her heart started beating faster, her palms became sweatier, her breathing heavier, her back straighter.

She knew, though, that she had no right to be this upset by Emma's question. After all, she, herself, was the one who had rejected Emma's advances on her. But that obviously didn't stop the pain from coming for her.

If you ask Regina, however, she would tell you it even hurt more that she had rejected the blonde.

"Regina?"

"Yes, dear."

"Yes?" Emma said in a loud voice, "yes what?"

"If you wish, then by all means fuck away."

"And you'd be okay with that?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Regina said, blinking away the pain as a windscreen sweeper would water during a storm.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure, miss Swan."

"Miss Swan?" Emma asked, sensing the brunette's irritation, but after so many rejections, she knew not to assume it was jealousy.

"That is your name, isn't it, dear?"

"Cut the crap with the 'dear' and 'miss Swan', Regina. This is where you tell me the truth because from here on, there's no going back. If I call Neal, then everything will change... for us, for his baby, and for the very pregnant Tamara whom, as you so eloquently put it, I'm about to fuck her fiance!"

She didn't want to say her next words. She really didn't. But the way she saw it, if Emma wanted to sleep with Neal, then who is she to stop them. It had occurred to her once that perhaps in time the blonde would learn to really like her, instead of the obvious lust phase she was going through. It took one phone call. Just one call to grab her by the shoulders and pull her out of this bubble she'd created for herself. A bubble where everything was okay, and where she shared the oxygen with one Emma Swan.

"Are you going to get to work, miss Swan, or are you going to keep whining like a baby?"

Emma was quiet, but then she sighed heavily, "is that what you really want, Regina?"

"It is."

"Then so be it."

* * *

He didn't know what he was expecting from Emma when she'd called him, saying she wanted to meet up with him, but he certainly knew that he would do everything in his power to be granted her forgiveness. Now that the hour was nearing, he paced around his tiny apartment, sorting out the mess, or what little mess was left.

A glance at his wrist watch, told him it was just five past eight. Emma would be here soon, he thought as he dropped onto his bed with a loud grunt and a heavy heart.

He stared at the ceiling, wondering how on earth does a person go about telling an ex that she was a fairy tale character, and that his father was one of the most dangerous men in this world, and in other worlds, as well.

How would he tell her that Pinocchio had come to him, and told him that Emma was in fact Snow White's daughter. That her parents were alive. That she was the savoir who was meant to save them all from the evil queen's curse.

How does one go about mentioning that in a conversation?

"Arghhh!" He sighed, suddenly too restless to lie around.

_What do I do? _

_What do I do?_

_What the hell do I do?_

He chanted in his head.

Little did he know that Emma was on the other side of the door, chanting in her head as well.

* * *

_Emma Swan, you will go in there, and you will sleep with your ex like it's the least important thing in the world_. Emma instructed in her head, _you will wow him into believing he was still in love with you, and you will succeed in sucking him in like a succubus does its prey. _

"Ugh!" She grunted at her choice of words, but immediately covered her lips for being too loud.

She sighed then, rubbing at her thighs.

_Just go in, Emma._

_It's not a big deal. _

_Not at all. _

_Even Regina's okay with it. _

_Just knock on the door, and get it over with. _

_It's just a one time thing, and hopefully you'll get pregnant. _

_Think about Henry, and how much you miss him._

_Henry..._

That seemed to have worked magic on her, because one second she was furiously pacing the corridor, the next her fist was on the wood, knocking on Neal's door.

He opened the opened the door after the third knock, and stared at the blonde as Emma's hand was hanging in the air. "Hey," he sheepishly said, "come in."

Emma nodded, making her way inside. She turned around as she stood by the couch, "you said you wanted to talk?"

"Yeah, please sit." He motioned to the couch, "can I get you anything to drink? Beer?"

"Got anything stronger?" Emma said, but immediately regretted her choice of words. They reminded her way too much of Regina, and right now Regina's the last person she wanted to think about.

"Sorry, just beer. I'm not really rich or anything."

Glancing around the apartment, Emma nodded in agreement. "No, you're not." She looked up at him, and gave him a tiny smile. "Beer is fine, then."

Nodding, he made his way to a small fridge next to a stack of newspaper, and grabbed 2 cans of beer. Neal handed Emma one, and dropped next to her on the couch, making sure she had her space, though. Popping open the can, he took a sip, then set the beverage on the table beside him.

"So," he started, "I'm sure you have a lot of questions for me, Em."

"Don't call me that," Emma snapped, gulping from her own beer. "You don't have a right."

"Emma."

"That's better," she said, rolling her eyes.

They sat in awkward silence, till Neal broke it with his low voice, and annoying fidgeting. "Go ahead," he told her, "ask me anything you want, Emma."

"What is there to ask? What's done is done, and I'm sure your answers would offer no consolation of any sort."

"Oh, come on, Emma. You think you're the only one who suffered?"

She stood up then, and stalked around the table to stand in front of him, "you have no idea what I've been through you son of bitch!" She barked, "no idea whatsoever!"

She thought about it then. She thought about telling him about Storybrooke, about Regina, about Mary Margaret and David. She thought about telling him about Henry, just to see him suffer. To see the look on his voice be wiped out; a look that told her Neal thought she was pathetic. Yes, that would be the greatest revenge she could inflict upon the man who had ruined her life in so many ways. A man who had betrayed her, and torn away her trust from the depth of her well being.

Rage ran rampant in her chest, as she glared down at him with nothing but hate in her eyes. The look on his face, was still there. She could wipe it right now. She could tell him, and have him drown in misery just like she and Regina were. She could shatter his happiness by telling him that the child he was expecting, was none other than a 2nd one. A clone, for he was already a father.

But just like a fire put down by the rain, Emma caught her reflection on one of Neal's metal bars on his bed. She gasped then at the similarity between her, and between how Regina Mills once looked.

An evil queen, completely blinded by revenge, who didn't care what happened to others around her.

Neal wasn't others. Neal was the father of her child, and with everything that he had done, he still deserved better than this.

_I can't tell him_, she thought as her features softened.

_I can't let him go through this pain, it will hurt him too much._

_What the eye doesn't see, the heart can't grieve over_, she decided.

She looked down then, a single tear sliding down her cheek.

Neal in a completely misunderstood situation, took this as a sign, and pulled Emma down so she would be straddling his thighs. Without preamble, he pressed his lips to hers.

If Emma was shocked, she didn't show. She was glad for the distraction, but not for long. Neal's lips felt wet and sloppy against her own, and she wondered why on earth had she ever been with such a man.

But this was no time for thinking. She had to react fast, because any longer than this, Neal would definitely notice the lack of response from her end.

With one final glance at his very much closed eyes, Emma closed hers, and without actual intent, her mind wandered to the kiss she'd shared with Regina long ago. That one had felt right, and oh so natural. It was probably more sloppier than this one, but all Emma could remember was the tingling sensation that had erupted from her lips, and had traveled all the way to every nerve ending.

It was working, Neal was groaning.

Disrupted by Emma's phone continuously ringing for the past 5 minutes, Neal pulled away, and worked on catching his breath. He glanced up at her, and smiled, "your phone is ringing, turn it off."

Emma immediately reached for her phone from her jacket, and glanced at the screen.

Neal watched as the blonde's features changed dramatically from softness, to worry, to something akin to love.

"Turn it off," he repeated, reaching up to re-attach their lips.

Emma shook her head, getting on her feet, "no, I have to get this." She said, moving to lock her self in his bathroom.

"Is it more important than us?" He snapped.

"By miles." Was Emma's curt reply.

* * *

Emma answered as soon as the lock sounded, and she knew she was away from Neal's ears.

"Emma…" Regina whispered through the device, her words barely coherent over her shaky voice and uncontrollable hitches in it.

"Uh..Regina?" Emma asked. Not that she didn't already recognized her, but for a lack of eloquence at a time where all she wanted to do was yell and scream at the brunette.

"Emma…" Regina repeated, earnestly imploring the blonde. "Emma!" She yelled through the phone, her voice louder and more demanding.

"What is it, Regina? Are you okay?"

A sharp gasp, "Emma…" Regina cried out, immediately lowering her walls, and ditching her attitude.

Emma fell silent then, a hand coming to her lips, pressing hard to keep her own cries from escaping. Even though she was dozens of miles away from Regina, the blonde could practically hear the brunette breaking into a million pieces; she could feel the shaking of her entire being through the brunette's shattered voice, and painful, unhinged cries; she could smell her falling tears, and she could taste the salt in them.

Emma had seen Regina Mills break-down before. She'd seen her at the bottom of depression, and at the peak of helplessness. She'd seen her cry, and watched as the brunette succumbed to everything, and anything that blew her way.

But no.

This time was different. This time Regina was desperate, and honestly, Emma could quite clearly see the image of a mighty queen, torn away from her throne, and forced into humanity. A queen, who was finally letting go of the last thing that ever mattered to her.

Her pride.

And while she'd prayed for a day that Regina would let her in and finally allow her to be there for her, Emma found herself thinking: Not like this.

"Don't do it…" Regina added between unbecoming, short, heavy breaths, "Please don't sleep with Neal..." She whimpered then, "I beg you!"

"Regina," Emma began in a tentative whisper, but nevertheless a determined tone, "Calm down, and tell me what's wrong." She pressed her palm to the bathroom door as if by doing so, Neal wasn't going to hear her.

He didn't. He couldn't have. He wasn't in the room any longer; he was on his way to her. On his way to Tamara.

"Please don't do it…" Regina said.

"Regina…"

"Please. Don't do it, Emma…" Regina repeated, "Please!"

"Regina-"

"-No!" The crying mess cut her in, "Please, Emma. Please…" She took a couple of deep breaths, and fought to get her next words out as her heaving chest shook with hiccups.

"Even with everything that's happened, you know…You know that I don't beg. It's beneath me…but," She sighed then, and rubbed her eyes, cursing them for betraying her so easily when it came to Emma Swan.

"But," She continued, "I am begging you now, and I will continue to beg you…" Her voice hitched then, and she felt her body whimper and shake as another wave of pain passed through her heart, and traveled all the way to her toes.

"I will continue to beg you, Emma Swan, for as long as you're willing to listen," She took a deep breath then, and waited patiently for the inevitable rejection she was sure was on the way. She placed a palm on her chest, right above her heart, and begged it not to break in half, because at that exact moment, she knew that Emma's rejection would do just that.

"Okay," The younger woman immediately responded, "I won't sleep with Neal, Regina." With that, she hung up the phone, not allowing the brunette any say in the matter.

* * *

He'd left his apartment right after Emma so harshly rejected him. She didn't exactly reject him in the verbal sense, but the look on her face when she'd gotten that phone call was more than indication. Neal knew he was a substitute then, and he knew that whoever had called the blonde was more important and special to Emma than he will ever be.

There was one thing he had to make right. Something that needed to be mended before it bent and broke beyond repair. With that kind of urgency, running towards Tamara's apartment, Neal caught up with his fiance just as she was headed out the door with her wallet in hand. "Hey," He said breathlessly.

She didn't need to know about his wavering.

"Hey," She said back, completely forgetting their earlier fight during the day. With Neal, she seemed to always forget what their fight are all about after just a couple of hours.

"I'm just going to the sto...What happened to you?" She asked in an amused tone, eying the sweat trailing down his face and into the tip of his collar. "You look like you ran all the way from your apartment," She chuckled then, and walked over to him.

"Are you okay?" When he said nothing, she asked again, dread that something bad did happen indeed.

He shook his head in the negative, "nothing is wrong," Neal assured Tamara, and closed the gap between them, pressing his lips to hers. Whatever he had intended to do with Emma, long forgotten. Even if that old flame was still burning slow and ever so strong for Emma, he still wanted nothing more than to be the father of his yet-to-be-born child.

Pulling back, "What's wrong?" She asked again.

"Nothing," He said, bringing his palms to cup her cheeks. Neal brought their lips to softly touch once more, then he continued, "Nothing is wrong. It's just I know what I want now." He smiled at her, his eyes barely open. He did love Tamara, he thought, and maybe in time, he'll learn to love her as much as he loved Emma, if not more.

She smiled at him, but then frowned, "Wait..." She said, "Do I need to be worried?"

He shook his head a no, smiling at her. When she made a move to pull away from his grasp, he held on even tighter. "Not in the least, Tamara."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

* * *

"You came…" She said it in great wonder, barely stopping herself from reaching to touch the blonde's face just to make sure she was real.

"You came for me…" She repeated, feeling a sharp sting behind her eyes; one she'd become acquainted with in the past excruciating couple of months.

Emma nodded then, but remained a good two meters away. "Regina what's wrong?" She asked in a low voice, "I thought you were okay with this?"

The brunette sighed, looking away. Emma, in a move to respect the older woman's privacy, turned her gaze towards the room. It'd been cleaned up rather marvelously, and the blonde was once again reminded of how she'd left things early on in the morning.

The silence stretched, each of the women stuck in their own heads. Emma wondering if Regina was giving up on bringing Henry back, and Regina was stuck in a loop of 'did she go through with it?' and 'why did she come for me?'.

Emma inhaled sharply then, breaking the silence. She looked up at the brunette, and waited for Regina to look at her. Locking eyes, and Emma stepping closer, "Regina…" She said tentatively, "talk to me. You told me on the phone that you were okay with me being with Neal. It's the only way, isn't it?"

"Not like this," came the immediate, sharp reply. "No!," she gritted out as her brows knitted together in anger, "not like this."

Emma nodded slowly, "but you said.."

"I know what I said...just, not-not like this."

"Then in what way?" She took a step closer, and stood right in front of the now shaking-brunette.

Regina flinched at the close proximity, and glanced down. "I don't know, just not like this," Her voice was low, and cheeks a flush.

"Henry, Regina. We're doing this for him." Her hands shot up, and she tucked Regina's hair behind her ears, cupping her cheeks.

Regina closed her eyes, allowing two trails of wetness to travel down her cheeks. She shuddered then, and fought with her mind not to cry; but all to no avail.

"Shh," Emma soothed down, placing a lingering kiss to Regina's forehead.

"No!" Regina pushed at Emma, or tried to. "You…you're doing all the doing!" With a specific image in mind of Neal taking Emma, she started shivering as if her body had just been covered in snow, and the only way to survive is to push away the blonde.

But again, she met with failure.

She shook her head, unable to erase that image. "Just…just.." She stuttered, "No…"

Emma, in return, held on to the brunette even tighter, and wrapped her arms around her body in bear hug. "Just what, Regina? Tell me."

"Just not like this, Emma." Regina said through sobs.

"Not like what?"

"Not..not at the expanse of losing you…"

"You're not-"

"No, just let me finish." Regina swallowed roughly, and sniffed quietly, or as quiet as sniffing could get. She pushed gently at Emma's shoulder, until they were face-to-face once more. "I've already lost everything that I care about, Emma."

"My home," She said.

"My happy ending."

"My magic."

"My son...our son," she amended quickly.

Locking eyes with Emma, Regina sighed tiredly, "I don't want to lose you, too." Came in a gentle whisper, that Emma was sure if she wasn't paying the brunette all her attention, she wouldn't have heard it.

"You won't-"

"-I know you think that way, but if you do this…if you sleep with…with Neal...I'll lose you, Emma. And I'm just too jealous and too…" She felt it then. She felt it coming back for her. She felt it in her eyes, in her heart, and in her every cell in her body; every organ, every breath, every nerve.

She took a step back, looking up at Emma with a new found knowledge that even the brightest, and the most wisest people in the world could not muster. "I," she started, pulling Emma closer, and wrapping the blonde's arms around her body as if saying 'this is where you belong', and her own arms sneaked around Emma's waist, and nestled there.

She spoke then, "I am too in love with you to stand by and watch as you get snatched away from me right in front of my eyes without me doing something to make you stay."

"I just can't," she tightened her embrace, "I can't do that. You have to understand, Emma, I-"

Emma kissed her then, swallowing Regina's next words before she had any chance to utter them. With both her palms, sweaty as they may be, she cupped the brunette's flushed cheeks, and deepened the kiss, reveling in the desperate moan it elicited and the hands that found their way to her neck.

Pulling away to catch her breath, Emma gasped as she felt Regina immediately reattach their lips in an even more urgent kiss. She felt Regina's tongue clashing against her own, the sharpness of her teeth, the feeling of her heated breath against her cheek, the desperate noises that were continuously playing on Regina's strained cords.

Emma pulled away again. It was too much emotion in such little time, and if they were to continue at this pace, she found she'd definitely regret not savoring every moment of it all. As much as she felt the rush for release, and to finally be one with Regina, she knew she had to take things slow. Even when it came to making love.

It occurred to her then.

Love.

Regina's lips on her neck, sucking and easing the mark with her tongue after the fact, confirmed her suspicions. The brunette didn't want to slow down because she felt insecure. Emma still hadn't said it back. Even though she was saying it with her actions, Regina still needed to hear it. But slowing down meant losing to Regina, so she was, in a way, refusing to let go. Refusing to submit to rejection. Refusing to lose to Neal.

Ending the kiss with one final swap of her tongue to Regina's mouth-roof, she pulled away slowly, and cupped the brunette's cheeks once more. "Regina," she said with a voice filled with endearment, and laced with absolute confidence. "Listen to me, Regina."

She waited until Regina opened her eyes, and when she did, Emma locked her eyes with hers, and smiled brightly.

In those beautiful browns, Emma could see Regina's worries and insecurities. She could see the stress in her fidgeting feet, and shaky hands.

"I love you, too," she told her.

Regina gasped and shook her head in the negative, but Emma continued undeterred, "I'm in love with you. I have been for a while now, but you…well, I suppose you weren't ready, Regina."

Regina shook her head again, "no, you just think you're in love-"

"-No. I am sure I'm in love with you." Emma sighed then, and pressed her forehead against Regina's, "in fact, I've never been surer of anything my entire life."

Then Regina was crying again, "you are?" She asked in a voice that said she was no more than 5 of age. "You really are in love with me?"

Emma chuckled, and instantly received a pout from Regina as the brunette tried to break free from the embrace. But Emma wouldn't have it. She pulled Regina in for a tender kiss on her lips, and then another one to her cheek, and then one to her nose.

"I am, Regina. I'm in love with you." Emma told her, locking her blues with browns. "Do you understand what I just said?" She asked, when Regina seemed to be not present. Mentally, that is.

Regina nodded once, "I think…I think I do. Yes."

"Good," Emma said, "now you know I love you. That's one huge misunderstanding out of the way."

She took a hold of the older woman's hand, and led her to the couch. Nestling there, she started again, "umm…what do you want me to do about Neal?"

Regina flinched at the name, but held in her anger. Now was the time to ask, she thought. Tentatively, she intertwined her fingers with Emma, and tightened her hold. "Did you…" she trailed, unable to finish.

Emma, understanding the question, shook her head instantly. Had Regina not stopped her in time, she would have though. But that doesn't need to be public information. "I didn't."

The brunette let out a sigh of relief, and smiled up at the blonde. "Good," she said, "I…I…it's just good that you didn't."

Silence stretched between them, and Emma broke it first, making sure her eyes were no where near Regina's, "so we change the plan, or…abandon it altogether?"

Regina gave a tight squeeze to Emma's hand, and closed her eyes as she contemplated. She knew the answer, but saying it out loud would be a sin. So instead, she just nodded, and somehow Emma understood. The blonde immediately pulled Regina, and hugged her as they both cried silently.

"There are other ways, you know." Emma said.

"Other ways?"

"To honor…to honor Henry."

"…what do you mean?" Regina said, sniffing as her head cocked backwards so she could look at Emma, "do you mean like a tombstone?"

"That," Emma nodded, "and we can do what he wanted us to do."

"And what is that?"

"Make peace, and be happy," Emma smiled at the memory of her son, and in that moment, she knew that crying over him wouldn't have pleased him at all. He would have wanted more from her, and he would have wanted more for Regina, too.

"Oh," Regina said, "and how do we do that?"

Emma swallowed audibly, and braced herself for the rejection to come, "I think we should settle down somewhere nice, and adopt a baby."

Regina arched a brow, staring in wonder at the blonde, "together?" She asked, but waited for no answer. "Together," she stated.

"Together," Emma repeated.

The older woman smiled then, "I think I would like that very much, Emma."

"Really?" Emma said with widened eyes.

Regina chuckled, "Really." She said, placing a soft kiss to Emma's neck.

* * *

A/N: Hello everyone. Thank you for waiting patiently. I went through a failed heart surgery (details in bio), so that's why there wasn't an update. Anyway-this is by far one of my favorite chapters of all my fics. I wanted to see Regina throwing away her pride for Emma, and just letting go of everything to be with her. The next chapters will show a bit more story than relationship, I think. I'm not sure yet.

Regardless of how angst-y this fic is, I think you guys will enjoy the rest of the remaining chapters.

Thank you for reading, reviewing, following, and for favorite-ing.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	9. Chapter 9

I do not own Once. All characters belong to their respectful owner.

* * *

Henry

9

She glanced at the clock perched up on the wall of her office, before scribbling down on her note pad:

**Loss of real flow of time. **

**Date confusion.**

Emma slumped back further into her chair, a hand behind her head, and an attitude that screamed 'fucking annoyed, get it over with before I start vomiting.' She had not anticipated that Dr. Armelle N. Charles to be such a beautiful young woman, nor had she put into account that the woman came from French origins, thus the French accent Regina was severely infatuated with to a point where she let the tiniest bit of moans slip past her sinful lips when the doctor greeted them at the door the first time they met.

"I can't," the doctor told her for the third time this session, "it wouldn't be fair to Emma if we spoke in a language she didn't understand, Regina." She turned to the blonde then, and smiled, "how are you today, Emma?"

The youngest of the blonde shrugged, "I'm fine.." she said, looking back at Regina, "she's having some issues, though. Doesn't want to listen to me."

Regina rolled her eyes in response, "I'm sorry, did you say something, dear?" She shot back, now that the Henry issue was put to rest, for now, Regina was on the road back to becoming her old self once more.

If Emma was being honest, she loved the new improved Regina, but she longed for the old one even more, because that one was much more saner and put together. On terms of happiness, though, Regina lacked in both versions of herself, which is why Emma made it her mission to shower some on the brunette; not that she knew the first thing about happiness, but she vowed to at least try.

Dr. Charles scribbled on her note pad, effectively silencing the two. She'd discovered that the most efficient method to approach these two 'friends' was by seemingly taking one's side over the other; which would then stir up conversation, or to be technical, their bickering.

Last week's session; she'd subtly sided with Emma at the beginning of the hour, and then with Regina towards the end when the blonde had abruptly stood, and stormed out the office. Any other couple, though, the method would have been moot. But really anything was better than the silence that loomed during their first few sessions; in which Regina furiously bit on her lower lips, and Emma tapped her fingers on the armrest of the chair like some nervous teenager.

She looked up then, and glanced at Regina, before settling her eyes on Emma, "tell me about the marriage," she told her.

Emma shrugged, "what's there to tell about? We were desperate. We ARE desperate, and it seemed like the right thing to do."

They'd visited countless adoption agencies; each on their own, and a few times together. But a single parent, or two 'friends' did not fair up high in the process of selection. Both were fertile, and both were considerably healthy and in young age. Not that it didn't ever happened that a single parent adopted a baby, but it was definitely more difficult to do so.

Although Regina knew better. She knew this bitterness far too well when she'd waited years and years before Gold was able to procure Henry for her.

And Emma? Well, Emma was just an impatient child, stretching out her arms to reach her new toy.

* * *

"What do you mean we weren't picked?" She shouted through the phone. Regina by her side, glaring up at her as she sat in discomfort on the edge of the bed at their hotel room.

"Emma…" She warned in a low whisper, "you're shouting again. We don't want them to think we're incapable of even patience."

"Don't," Emma said, muffling her phone with a palm. "If you listened to this guy, you'd yell at him, too." She turned around then, and spoke to the man on the phone, "so basically you're saying that we're not old enough, or straight enough to get a baby? Because I know plenty of young, gay people who have children of their own!"

"No," she gritted out, "that's what you said!"

"No, no, that's exactly what you're saying, you narrow minded-"

Regina snatched the phone then, choosing to speak with the man herself. She didn't know why she let Emma do all the talking; she was obviously better at this, better at manipulating people with fancy words and-

Her train of thoughts was cut short then after she'd barely introduced herself to the adoption worker, her eyes instantly widening at what she'd heard from the other end of the line. "Great, it's the other dyke," the man sarcastically said, "this won't change things. You're still not getting a baby. I suggest one of you grow a penis, some balls, and make one yourselves."

"Is that so?" Was the former, evil queen's only reply. She'd asked for his name then, and an hour later, his ass was definitely and utterly fired. But did that mean they were to be gifted with a child? Not exactly.

"There are a lot of people who want children, ms Mills," the woman in charge began softly, "and some have tried and tried to conceive, tried to adopt, but were met with failure for more than ten years."

"So you're saying that we haven't waited enough?"

"Among the facts that neither one of you have a steady job, a permanent residence, and a secure health plan and insurance; I'm saying there are others who have waited longer."

"I see…" Regina said, "but my son passed away, mrs Black. OUR son passed away; me and Emma's, and we have all this love we want to give to a child who, mind I say, actually WANT our love but we're unable to legally peruse him, or him us?"

"I'm sorry for your loss, miss Mills. I can only imagine…but accept a word of advice from someone who has worked in this line of job for more than 15 years?"

"…your advice being?"

"There are other ways…other methods that have proven to be much more successful with…female same-sex-couples, rather than male ones. It's an advantage many gay men envy you guys for."

* * *

"Is that what happened?" Dr. Charles addressed Regina for confirmation, and in return received a firm nod from the brunette. "So then, and on a whim as you both put it, you woke up the next the morning, got dressed, and somehow ended up being married by the end of the day." She wasn't asking, just repeating what they'd both told her the previous session.

"Yes," Regina said, nodding, "more or less."

"What do you mean by that?" The doctor pushed.

"You know," Emma added as she shrugged in indifference. "A few hours looking for witnesses to Regina's liking. A few hours waiting in court..and so on."

Dr. Charles scribbled some more on her pad, "I see," she said, but wrote:

**Story changes with each session.**

** Inconsistent. **

**Still holding something back. **

**Ask later about their feelings on their marriage.**

The blonde doctor looked up then, and addressed Regina, "when the adoption worker said there were other methods, what did she mean by that?"

Regina shrugged, "at first, we thought she meant we get married so people would take us more seriously."

"So that wasn't what she had in mind?"

Emma shook her head, "no, that wasn't it. I think she meant we get a sperm donor, and get pregnant ourselves, but by the time we figured that out, we'd already been married for about 3 days."

Dr. Charles raised a brow.

"Look, it's just a piece of paper, don't make a big deal out of it," Emma spat.

Regina rolled her eyes.

"And then what happened?"

She huffed out hot air, and worried her lower lip, "we thought we should give the adoption one more try before..well, before we seek other plans," Regina added all business-like, but the undertones of her sadness did not go unnoticed.

"Things didn't go as planned, though, we still got rejected," Emma said, glancing at her phone then turning it off. She'd been getting phone calls from her parents none stop, and to think they'd get the message after weeks of not answering.

"Who was that?"

"No one," she said, messaging her neck. Regina gave her a look, and Emma relented, "fine, it's my mother. She and I…well, we don't get along that much…at least not anymore."

"Do you wish to speak about her more?"

"No," Emma said pointedly. "She's not exactly causing me to sleep walk, and like I said, I'm mainly here to get a solution to that problem."

"But to find a solution, you need to find the reasons first," the doctor told her, "have you tried the medication I prescribed?"

"I did."

"And did it work?"

"It did the first two time she took it," Regina said when Emma fell silent, "but then she stopped taking them. Says they make her too dizzy, and quote: she fucking hates being dizzy, unquote."

"Well, we can try a different medicine, if that's what you're worried about. Something that wouldn't numb but initiate the first sleeping stages." Dr. Charles walked over to her desk for a moment, then came back with the new prescription in hand, "here, and make sure to take it before ten p.m."

"Thanks," Emma said, "I appreciate it."

* * *

"Hey," the blonde said, dropping down next to her suitcase, "do you know that today is Saturday?"

Regina knitted her brows together, "it's Friday today."

"No," Emma said, "it really is Saturday. I just checked online."

"But our appointment was on Friday," Regina said, standing next to Emma, and dropping her coat into Emma's suitcase. "Keep this with you? I'm all out of space."

"Sure," Emma said, stuffing the coat atop her clothes, and sighing in relief when the zipper successfully closed shut. "Why'd she let us in then?"

"Who?"

"Dr. Charles."

"I don't know," Regina shrugged, "but we better pay attention from now on. I'll definitely be embarrassed the next time I see her."

"Yeah, you're right. Do you want your tooth brush, or do you want to swing by the super market to buy a few things?"

"I'll take my tooth brush with me, but do you think we can visit the super market any way? I still need a few things as well."

"Of course," Emma said, standing on her feet and crossing the room to stand next to Regina. She took out her phone then, and smiled sheepishly at the brunette.

"What?" Regina asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Want to take a picture?" There were too many memories swirling around their hotel room, and to just leave without something to remind them of said memories; Emma felt bitter. True, there were a lot of really bad memories, but there were ones that took those awful fragments of time, and reshaped them into wonderful ones; like the first time Regina admitted she needed Emma more than Emma, herself, knew possible.

The brunette nodded then, fixing her hair in the process.

* * *

"I didn't find the flour you wanted. The all-purposes one?"

Regina huffed tiredly, "what about the baking powder?"

"That, I did find, but I actually wanted to ask you which one you liked better. Wait just a second," Emma said, and hurried to fetch the two brands.

Regina went back to examining the tomatoes, debating whether to get fresh ones, or a can and just be over with it. She truly hadn't cooked in months, and the process was seeming not as appealing as it once was. Now she felt like it's a chore she was forced to do.

There was nothing she could do, was there? They needed all the money they could get their hands on if they really wanted to adopt.

She put the tomato back, albeit too annoyingly, and pushed the cart to the can aisle. Getting there, she cursed herself for all those days they spent in that expensive hotel room. Wondered if they had remained at the motel they first stayed at, would they have had enough money to afford real tomatoes?

"What do you think?" Emma asked, two brands of baking powder in hand.

"Hmm," Regina hummed. She had never seen any of those two, but one in particular stood out to her more than the other. She glanced at Emma, and resisted the urge to smile. It was clear to her that the blonde thought very highly of her; like Regina knew everything, and that obviously included choosing what kind of brand of foods they bought.

"That one," she said, and Emma smiled, placing the small box next to the carton of milk inside the cart.

"Oh," the blonde exclaimed, "I'll go get you some yogurt for your constipation."

"Emma!" Regina shouted, her face coloring a shade of red.

"What?" Emma asked unfazed, undeterred, and completely unaware of what she'd just said to be inappropriate.

"Don't say that aloud!" Regina hissed, "I told you, and only you. If I wanted everyone to know, I would've been more creative in spreading the word."

"What do you mean? That you have consti-"

"-don't you dare finish that sentence!"

"It's nothing to be ashamed of!"

"So help me God…"

"Jeez, Regina. No one's around..."

"Forget it! I don't want any yogurt!"

"Regina, wait!"

"Don't talk to me, miss Swan."

* * *

"Why do you think she keeps asking us about our marriage?" Emma asked while she unpacked the last of her pajamas out of the suitcase.

Regina glanced around Emma's bedroom, taking it the room for the second time since they'd rented the 2-bedroom apartment the day after the whole debacle with Neal. Now, and almost 3 weeks later, they'd gotten married, moved in together, and had a total of 7 sessions with Dr. Charles.

"You didn't have to give me the master bedroom," Regina said, sitting on the edge of Emma's bed. Besides the new mattress underneath her body, Regina loathed to sit anywhere else. While her own room was furnished with brand new furniture; Emma's was not.

"No, I didn't, but I wanted you to have it," the younger woman said.

"Why is that?"

Emma shrugged, "because you lived in a mansion, Regina, and trust me I'm used to living in tight spaces, so this is actually not all that bad." She opened her closet, and set the empty suitcase inside. Shutting it closed, she spotted Regina secretly wiping at her eyes with the back of her hands, and sniffing soundlessly.

"Regina…" she said in a scolding tone, still not turning to look at the brunette. "I thought we agreed not to cry anymore."

"I know," was Regina's only reply. She hid her shaky sobs, and sauntered back to her room then.

Emma moved to follow the brunette, but decided against it when she heard the soft clink of a door being locked. She shook her head then, and called it a night. It was already past midnight, and fatigue was knocking down on her door.

* * *

The room was spinning around and around her head again. Her vision blurry with uncertainty more than with tears; with dread more than with fear.

She'd felt like this before; felt the complete and utter helplessness of being stuck in a place where she didn't want to be stuck at.

An all too familiar place.

With all the signs telling her to walk back to where she came from, she still took one step forward, and then another, and another; dragging her feet into the stark darkness up ahead.

It was frightening, but liberating.

She was choking up red, but not suffocating.

It was weird, and it felt strange even though it was an all too familiar place. A place she recognized more than it recognized her.

But above all, it was what she knew she should do; because up ahead, and right behind the wall of unknown, someone would be waiting for her there.

Someone she knew all too well.

Closing her eyes shut, she sprinted off ahead. And true to her memories, in a few seconds and behind the stubborn darkness, a beautiful light emerged, rendering her blind for a split moment in time, before she felt an all too familiar voice call out for her. She smiled then; a smile she hadn't smiled since Jefferson's hat had stopped spinning.

"Mom!" The all too familiar voice called out for her, "you made it! I thought you'd forgotten about me already."

Her smile only grew wider, and she slowly, but ever so happily, opened her eyes to lock them with her son's; with Henry's. "Hey," she breathed out, "hey honey, how can you even say that?" She extended her arms in the air, and Henry pulled those arms, and wrapped them around his torso.

His mother's head rested on his chest, and he rested his on her head. "You feel so cold," he told her, "why are you cold, mom?"

"I don't know," she said, "but does it matter? At least now you don't have to be too hot, Henry." She felt her face heat up then, and if she wasn't thrilled to see her son, she'd notice that her flesh was slowly, but certainly beginning to burn.

"It does," he scolded, pushing her away from the embrace, and taking a few cautionary steps back. "I don't want you to get burned, mom. I can't bare to see you that way!" He shouted through the screen of smoke, "I'm happy that you come see me a lot…but not at the expanse of you getting hurt."

Emma teared up then; because how can she not?

"Don't!" Henry shouted again, his voice husky and masculine. "I told you you can't cry in here. It'll only serve to hurt you, mom."

"I can't help it, Henry!" She started sobbing, "I don't know what to do. I don't know how to bring you back, and every time I leave you here, I…I-" She hissed then, grabbing her temples, and rubbing at them furiously. Her tears had turned into hot steam, and it felt a little more than painful.

"Mom!" Henry exclaimed, walking over to her, but not daring to touch her. He'd been stuck in that place for years now, and he knew better. "Mom," he started again, and in a calming voice; one he'd learned from his other mother. "Please," he told her, "please remember this."

He stood tall then, a determined expression on his face, and an all too familiar look in his eyes. He cleared his throat, and smiled sadly at her, "when you go home, mom, please remember."

"Remember what?" She asked, looking at her beautiful baby boy; except he wasn't a baby boy any more. He was a young man; a beautiful young man.

"Remember me, remember this," he gestured with his hands to the burning place. Then he walked over to her, and pressed a finger to her throbbing heart, "remember that it's real. It's not a dream, and you're not sleep walking. You're here, and I'm here, and this is real."

She nodded then, "okay," she told him, "I'll remember."

"Definitely this time around, I will remember, baby boy." She lunched forward, and wrapped her arms around her son once more. The pain was there, but she didn't care. What kind of mother would she be if she didn't take a little pain in order to comfort her son. But was she really comforting her son, or was it the other way around?

"Mom," he said, once he broke the hug once more. "I don't want you to get hurt," he explained, seeing the look of hurt on her face.

"It hurts more if I don't hug you, honey…" She looked up at him then, "you say you can't bare to see me hurt, but I can't bare to see you like this, Henry. I can't bare it at all, and if I could trade places with you-"

"-Don't you dare!" He gritted out, and suddenly Emma remembered an all too familiar someone she'd left behind. A brunette who'd said those exact same words to her earlier in the night.

Regina.

As if on cue, the blonde felt her heartbeats beat faster and faster, like her whole body is being shaken. "Henry!" She exclaimed, "I think I'm gonna wake up soon."

He only nodded at her, knowing what was happening to her. After all, he'd witnessed the same familiar scene unravel before him too many times before. He hoped..no, he prayed to anyone who was listening, that this time around, his blonde mother would remember him; would remember the face that he was stuck in a curse of his own.

"I'll remember, Henry. I promise, this time around, I'll remember," Emma answered his unasked question.

* * *

"Emma!" Regina shook the blonde's body back to reality, "wake up!"

Emma gasped then, and immediately regretted her actions. The oxygen intake traveled down her dry throat, and scratched its way to her lungs. It felt like someone had set her insides on fire.

She swallowed, "Regina…?"

The brunette nodded, "you were sleep walking again," she told her, "did you take your medicine?" She asked, looking away from the blonde.

Emma glanced down, and noticed she was nude as the day she was born. She didn't care, though. They'd been through this many times in the past few months, dignity didn't seem as important as it did before. "What happened? Why am I in your room?"

Regina let go of the blonde then, standing on her feet. She walked over to her wardrobe, and came back with a shirt and panties for the younger woman, "wear this," she dropped the articles of clothes on her lap, and turned around, giving the blonde some privacy.

"You were blabbering, as usual," she told her, hearing the rustling of fabric being stretched over skin.

"Oh," Emma said, "what did I say?"

"I have no clue," Regina said, "but you need to start taking your medicine, Emma. It's clear you're sleep walking out of stress, and maybe the pills can help you."

Emma nodded, "yeah, I guess."

"Where are they?"

"Next to me on the nightstand."

Regina disappeared for a few moments, before she came back with a bottle of water in hand, and Emma's pills. "Here," she said, "take them now."

"But dr. Charles said to take them before ten."

"Just take them, Emma. I don't think you got enough sleep, and it's Sunday today, so might as well get some rest before you start work on Monday."

Emma shrugged then, "I guess. Yeah, okay." She walked over to the brunette, plopped the pill inside her mouth, and sipped some water.

"I took the bottle," Regina told her, "from now on, I'll remind you to take them every night."

Emma nodded, "that would be best, I'm not really good with habits."

"Well, I am. You won't miss a day if I'm in charge."

* * *

A/N: The big reveal! Tell me what you guys think?

* * *

**EDIT: please read Lady strangers bio for more info why this is complete**

**-Jay**


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